Discussing New Orders in the Age of Artificial Intelligence with Citizens

The Ministry of Science and ICT (Minister Lee Jong-Ho hereafter the Ministry) has announced the inaugural Digital Deep Issue Colloquium set to take place on Thursday July 4 at the Jeongdong 1928 Art Center.

Colloquium: A discussion format where the presenter shares their insights followed by an open exchange of opinions with participants.
The Digital Deep Issue Colloquium is part of the follow-up measures to the ‘New Digital Order Establishment Promotion Plan’ (reported to the Cabinet on May 21) jointly prepared by 26 ministries and agencies. This initiative aims to address deep-seated digital issues through public discourse.

The colloquium will begin with a lecture by Dr. Jang Dong-Sun a neuroscientist and popular science communicator who will discuss the impact and future of AI from a neuroscientists perspective. This will be followed by a discussion with participating citizens on emerging issues in the AI era the government’s efforts to address them the outcomes of the AI Seoul Summit and the future role in establishing global AI and digital norms.

The government has proactively identified the structural changes driven by AI and consistently presented the need and concrete plans for a new digital order. In September of last year the government established the ‘Digital Bill of Rights**’ as the basic direction for the new digital order outlining five principles: freedom fairness safety innovation and solidarity.

New York Initiative (Sep. 2022) → B20 Summit (Nov. 2022) → Davos Forum (Jan. 2023) → Paris Initiative (Jun. 2023)
** ‘Charter on the Values and Principles for a Digital Co-prosperity Society’ (Sep. 25 2023)
To swiftly address deep digital issues and create tangible outcomes the government formulated a comprehensive inter-ministerial ‘New Digital Order Establishment Promotion Plan’ on May 21 based on the ‘Digital Bill of Rights.’ Eight core projects which are of high public interest and impact are being managed intensively through public discourse and in-depth policy research.
※ AI Basic Law enactment establishment of a dedicated AI safety research institute mandatory AI product labeling enactment of the Digital Inclusion Act etc.

The Ministry in collaboration with relevant departments will initiate public discourse on securing AI safety trust and ethics (May-June) enhancing digital accessibility (July-August) combating deepfake-driven fake news (September-October) and ensuring stable implementation of telemedicine (November-December). These efforts aim to enhance public acceptance of the digital deepening era and incorporate citizen feedback into policies.

The colloquium is open to anyone interested in AI. Participation can be arranged through the public discourse platform Digital Forum (www.beingdigital.kr). Currently the Digital Forum is conducting a public vote on AI safety trust and ethics (June 12 - July 12) and is also hosting a policy idea contest (June 12 - July 5). Starting in July the forum will launch an academic paper contest and public debate sessions to collaboratively drive change with citizens.

Kang Do-Hyun the Second Vice Minister of the Ministry stated “This colloquium is an offline event designed to help the public understand deep digital issues and encourage participation in public discourse. Following the success of the AI Seoul Summit last month where global citizens emphasized the safety innovation and inclusivity of AI technology we will continue to develop AI policies that reflect the opinions of our citizens through public discourse.”

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