AI ethics rules for making and using AI to be released in August, as voluntary guidelines rather than regulations

[Financial News] The government will finalize this month the AI ethics principles that will apply across the development and use of artificial intelligence (AI). As AI technology advances rapidly, countries around the world are moving in earnest to establish ethical standards for AI development and use, amid growing cases of misuse in crimes such as hacking and even use as a weapon of mass destruction.
The government also plans to set AI ethics principles that support AI innovation while ensuring that human ethics are not undermined, creating standards for the coexistence of AI and humanity.
The AI ethics standards will be established as voluntary guidelines, not as laws or regulations, meaning companies and developers will be expected to review and follow them on their own.
On the 14th, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI) held a public forum on 'Korea’s Artificial Intelligence Ethics Principles' at the President Hotel in Seoul, presenting a draft centered on three core values and seven principles.
The three core values of the AI ethics principles are human dignity, the public good of society, and the sustainability of humanity.
The seven principles designed to realize those values are human-centeredness, privacy protection, fairness and inclusiveness, accountability, safety, reliability, and transparency.

The government has been working since late last year to establish AI ethics principles under the Framework Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence (AI Basic Act). The effort updates the National Guidelines for Artificial Intelligence Ethics, introduced in 2020, while reflecting new technology trends such as agentic AI and physical AI, as well as the changed policy environment after the AI Basic Act took effect.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and KISDI released the first draft in May and collected opinions from various sectors, receiving a total of 116 written submissions before preparing the revised version.

At the forum, Sang-Wook Yi, a professor at Hanyang University and chair of the AI Society Policy Forum, stressed that "AI ethics principles should not be a constraint on innovation, but should help enable desirable AI development and use in practice."
Industry representatives said the principles should not function as new regulations or uniform obligations. Kim Kyung-Hoon, head of AI Safety at Kakao, emphasized that "ethical recommendations and legal obligations must not be confused," adding that voluntary guidelines should not operate as regulations. Kim Hyun-joo, head of the Korea Artificial Intelligence and Software Industry Association, said that ethics should help bridge the gap between new technologies such as agentic and physical AI and legislation.
Byun Soon-yong, a professor at Seoul National University of Education and president of the Korean Society for AI Ethics, said that "as AI has become basic social infrastructure, we need to move away from the perception that it is only something dangerous and to be handled with caution." He added that AI ethics principles could help ease public anxiety.

Not only in Korea but globally, work to establish AI ethics standards is gaining momentum. In 2019, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) adopted recommendations for trustworthy AI that respects human rights and democratic values, covering inclusive growth, respect for human rights and the rule of law, transparency and explainability, safety and robustness, and accountability.
In 2021, UNESCO, a UN agency, unanimously adopted the 141-item Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence with 193 member states, establishing the world's first international AI ethics standard centered on human rights and human dignity.
Japan has also enacted and is applying AI guidelines that include 10 principles, such as human dignity, inclusiveness, sustainability, safety, fairness, privacy, and security.
The European Union has incorporated ethical provisions into the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, making them legally binding.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to review the opinions raised at the public forum, refine the draft AI ethics principles, and enact and announce Korea’s AI Ethics Principles in August.
Kim Kyung-man, head of AI policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "Korea’s Artificial Intelligence Ethics Principles are standards that all of us must uphold together for an AI-based society. We are working to reflect the voices of diverse members of society." He added, "We will faithfully incorporate the views raised at this forum, establish the ethics principles, and actively support all stakeholders, including the government, companies, and citizens, so they can put them into practice from their respective positions."
[email protected] Lee Gu-soon Reporter