President Lee: "AI Is Comparable to Discovery of Fire and Invention of Steam Engine... A Decisive Opportunity"

President Lee Jae-myung stated, "The entire world is facing a civilizational transformation due to artificial intelligence (AI). I believe this is comparable to humanity's discovery of fire and the invention of the steam engine or electricity."

President Lee made these remarks this morning (July 16) while presiding over a briefing on government operations at the Yeongbingwan in the Blue House, which included the Ministry of Science and ICT (Korea Aerospace Administration), the Korea Communications Commission, and the Personal Information Protection Commission. He predicted, "We may have to live alongside artificial intelligence that is similar to or surpasses human intelligence in every area of our society in the future."

He emphasized, "I believe this situation is a decisive opportunity given to us. If we leverage our strengths well and compensate for our weaknesses, we can become leaders rather than followers. If we stay ahead even by a little, we can enjoy infinite opportunities."

He added, "While difficult test questions can be distressing, they are equally difficult for everyone, not just for us. An opportunity can also become another crisis if not utilized well."

President Lee stated, "In the year since our administration took office, we have normalized the science and technology innovation ecosystem. We have corrected many instances of unreasonable research and development (R&D) budget cuts and reckless approaches to the science and technology sector," adding, "Recently, we have also attracted large-scale private investment."

Furthermore, noting that data is the most important element in the AI era, he said, "(Data) is a highly effective raw material for industrial development, but aspects related to individual personality and property are also very important. It is crucial to ensure that personal information infringement does not occur."

However, he added, "We must find a proper balance so that we do not focus too much on protection, making data utilization difficult, or focus only on utilization, thereby threatening personal information protection."

(Photo: Blue House Press Corps, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.