The rapid expansion of global patent filings has increased the complexity of prior art searches and intensified pressure on patent offices to maintain examination quality. Within the Organisation African Intellectual Property Organisation known by its French acronym (OAPI), the 2015 revision of Annex I to the Bangui Agreement strengthened substantive examination procedures, including prior art search obligations. However, structural and technological constraints may limit the effective implementation of these reforms. This article examines the opportunities and challenges of integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into prior art search within the OAPI system. Using a doctrinal analysis of Annex I, combined with a comparative examination of the use of AI in major patent offices, it argues that AI can enhance semantic search capabilities, improve efficiency, and strengthen patent quality across OAPI Member States. Yet uncritical adoption risks technological dependency, algorithmic opacity, and weakened institutional autonomy. The article proposes a calibrated integration model grounded in phased adoption, human oversight, capacity-building, and transparency safeguards to ensure modernization without compromising legal legitimacy.