"Commitment to Responsible AI Development" ... Global AI Companies' 'Seoul Business Pledge'

AI Seoul Summit Day 2 'AI Global Forum'
14 Domestic and International Companies Commit to Responsible AI R&D

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yeol, Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho, along with global AI experts, are making the Seoul AI Declaration at the opening ceremony of the AI Seoul Summit and AI Global Forum held on the 22nd at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

At the 'AI Global Forum,' the second day event of the AI Seoul Summit, domestic and international AI companies signed the 'Seoul Corporate Pledge,' committing to responsible AI development and use.

On the 22nd, Minister Lee Jong-ho of the Ministry of Science and ICT announced the Seoul Corporate Pledge at the AI Global Forum held at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) in Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, together with representatives from domestic companies such as Naver, Kakao, SK Telecom, KT, LG AI Research, Samsung Electronics, and international companies including OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Anthropic, IBM, Salesforce, and Cohere.

The pledge includes commitments to strengthen cooperation with AI safety research institutes for responsible AI development and use, and to implement measures to identify AI-generated content, such as watermarks.

Minister Lee stated, "We will invest in developing systems for sustainable AI development and innovation and nurture specialized personnel," adding, "We will also launch AI services for socially vulnerable groups and promote diversity and inclusion."

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo also emphasized the importance of safe AI use in his congratulatory remarks, saying, "Safety, innovation, and inclusion are the priority themes of the AI Seoul Summit Global Forum," and "Safe functionality is a crucial factor determining sustainability in the global market."

Prime Minister Han said, "The Republic of Korea is cooperating with various partners to build an AI safety network, and the Seoul Declaration of the AI Seoul Summit reflects the commitment of major countries to this cooperation," adding, "Since adopting the 'Digital Bill of Rights' last year, we have begun efforts to share technology and strengthen capabilities in the digital field, such as supporting comprehensive digital transformation in ASEAN countries through the Korea-ASEAN Digital Innovation Flagship Project."

Immediately after the pledge announcement, Professor Andrew Ng of Stanford University and Mark Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics, took the stage for keynote speeches.

Professor Andrew Ng also emphasized AI safety, stating, "Companies need to educate workers to use AI safely and responsibly." He said, "Governments should regulate applications, not the technology itself. For example, AI can create chatbots, medical devices, social media feeds, political deepfakes, etc., so regulation should distinguish between good and bad apps rather than the AI technology itself."

During his speech, Professor Andrew Ng captivated the audience by playing music he personally composed using AI, reflecting the atmosphere in Korea. He said, "Generative AI has captivated the world for several years. Previously, AI was limited to images and text, but now it can compose music," adding, "Generative AI will have a profound impact on various industries such as education, business, and law in the future."

Founder Mark Raibert shared his outlook on how much robots can advance. He said, "Robots are currently mainly used in factories, but in the future, there will be an era where robots assist the elderly and disabled and are used in homes," adding, "I hope engineers continuously demonstrate creativity so that a society where robots and humans dance together will come."