▲ Deputy Prime Minister Bae Gyung-hoon
The government has established ethical principles that present common standards for the sound development and utilization of artificial intelligence (AI).
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI) announced today (August 24) that the Republic of Korea AI Ethics Principles were finalized on August 21 following deliberation and resolution at the Ministerial Meeting on Science and Technology.
The ethics principles set forth common values and principles to be upheld by various stakeholders, including developers, providers, users, the government, and society, who create, provide, and use AI.
The ethics principles present three core values to be pursued in the AI era: human dignity, the public good of society, and the sustainability of humanity.
To realize these, the principles include seven core tenets: human-centrism, privacy protection, fairness and inclusion, accountability, safety, reliability, and transparency.
Human-centrism stipulates that AI should be utilized in a direction that supports human judgment, creativity, and problem-solving abilities.
Privacy protection mandates processing personal information only to the necessary extent and respecting the self-determination rights of information subjects.
Fairness and inclusion suggest efforts to prevent unjust discrimination caused by AI bias and to ensure that everyone can equitably access the benefits and opportunities of AI.
Accountability entails that each stakeholder clearly fulfills their roles and responsibilities, clarifies liability when issues arise, and provides remedies for damages.
Safety requires preventing physical, mental, and psychological health hazards as well as property damage, while preparing against misuse or external attacks.
For reliability, performance standards suited to the purpose and context of utilization are to be established and checked. The transparency principle requires providing necessary information, such as whether AI is used, its level of utilization, and its limitations, in an easily understandable manner.
The government explained that it formulated these ethics principles as concerns grow alongside AI's ability to boost productivity and create new services—including changes in labor and jobs, copyright issues, overdependence on AI, and entrusting critical decisions such as hiring and evaluations to AI.
In particular, the principles view not only AI providers but also users as agents of responsible AI use and outline their respective roles.
The principles also include recommendations for the international community, stating that countries and companies with substantial AI capabilities and resources should bear responsibilities commensurate with their influence, and that the benefits of AI should not be skewed toward specific countries, regions, or groups.
The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to continuously supplement the ethics principles by developing case-based guidebooks, sector-specific self-checklists, and ethics education materials tailored to different target groups.
Bae Gyung-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, stated, "Accelerating AI innovation and fostering a safe and trustworthy AI environment are not conflicting tasks," adding, "We will ensure that the Republic of Korea AI Ethics Principles serve as a practical benchmark that enhances social trust in AI and supports its desirable development, utilization, and the widespread distribution of its benefits."
(Photo provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Yonhap News)
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