[Kim Daesik & Kim Hyeyeon's AHA] "Words to AI Reflect a Mirror of Your Language"

'Language Explorer' Shin Ji-young, Professor at Korea University

Editor's NoteAsia Economy has decided to explore, from the perspectives of engineers and artists, what changes the rapidly advancing generative AI will bring to the field of artistic creation and what 'humans' should contemplate. Accordingly, we have established a monthly corner where Professor Kim Dae-sik of KAIST's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and choreographer Kim Hye-yeon (CEO of Yeonist) either hold dialogues with artists or discuss works. The title 'AHA' in the corner stands for 'AI, Human & Art'. Through Professor Kim Dae-sik, who passionately explores the future of generative AI, and choreographer Kim Hye-yeon, who boldly integrates generative AI with dance, we hope you take a step closer to the profound themes of AI, humans, and art.

The era of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has heralded the emergence of a new humanity, ‘Homo Prompt’. The skill of questioning and commanding AI has become crucial because good answers are more likely to come from good questions. This is why linguistic and communication abilities are gaining renewed attention. Professor Shin Ji-young, a professor in the Department of Korean Language and Literature at Korea University, introduces herself as a ‘language explorer’. Having analyzed the hierarchy and relational settings formed by the Korean language, she explores the unique influence the Korean linguistic system may have on interactions with AI. We discussed the increasingly important nonverbal communication skills and uniquely human emotional expressions in the AI era. The interview took place on the 22nd of last month at Moonhakgwa Jiseongsa in Seogyo-dong, Seoul.

Professor Shin Ji-young of Korea University’s Department of Korean Language and Literature is giving an interview to Asia Economy on the 22nd of last month at Munhakgwa Jiseongsa in Seogyo-dong, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

- You introduced yourself as a ‘language explorer’ who explores the world of language, rather than simply a linguist or professor in Korean Language and Literature at Korea University. Is there a reason you chose the term ‘language explorer’?

▲ I do not view language research merely as an academic discipline that analyzes and organizes grammar, but as an exploratory process that pioneers new territories. I believe studying language is not just an academic task but discovering and investigating unknown realms within the words we take for granted. Many people consider grammar rigid and uninteresting.

When I pondered why, I realized that people generally love traveling?the fun of escaping daily life. But traveling requires money and time, so I thought exploring the world of language could be a kind of travel that requires neither. In fact, the process of discovering the unconscious rules we follow when learning and using a language is very fascinating. To me, language is an endlessly explorable and interesting world, and every time I discover a new pattern, I feel the joy of an explorer finding treasure.

- Living in Korea, most people speak Korean fluently. Is there still something about the language we do not know? Especially, what is the importance of language in the future as we live in the AI era?

▲ In reality, we know everything. Linguists study how people know what they already know, so I can say this with confidence. However, recently, with the AI era, AI learns from data and generates sentences. But whether that truly constitutes ‘communication’ is questionable. There is a similarity in that just as AI acquires and operates on data, we do not fully understand how our language is acquired.

However, while AI can learn specific patterns and produce grammatically natural sentences, it has yet to acquire humans’ ‘ability to understand context’ and ‘capacity for empathy’. When we use language, we do not merely focus on grammatical accuracy but employ subtle senses that consider relationships with others and vary expressions depending on the situation. As the AI era arrives and we increasingly converse with machines, it does not mean human communication skills become less important. On the contrary, as communication with machines increases, linguistic empathy among humans must be valued even more. As AI becomes not just a tool but a daily conversational partner, I believe we will face an era where more refined language use and nonverbal elements must be considered simultaneously.

In the AI era, as communication with machines increases, linguistic empathy among humans becomes more important

As AI becomes a daily conversational partner,
more refined language use and
nonverbal elements must be considered simultaneously

- When inputting prompts to AI, some people use informal speech while others use honorifics. How does the Korean honorific system, which appears in AI usage, affect communication?

▲ Language is not merely a tool for communication but plays an important role in forming and maintaining social relationships. The Korean honorific system is especially significant in forming such relationships. Speaking is not a one-sided monologue but involves a set interlocutor, exchanging dialogue and sometimes debating. It is natural that such linguistic features are reflected in interactions with AI. People who use informal speech with AI tend to perceive the machine as a simple tool or a comfortable conversational partner, whereas those who use honorifics tend to regard AI as a kind of formal conversational partner or an entity to be treated politely. This shows how deeply the Korean honorific system influences our mindset and human relationships.

There are several ways to have good conversations. First, equality is essential. If you think of vertical relationships as water, it will always flow from top to bottom. That makes conversation very difficult. Someone must only receive, and someone must only give. But it is not that the giver is always comfortable or the receiver always struggles. Therefore, for smooth communication, both parties must communicate from an equal position. Recently, there has been discussion about horizontal language use to foster such a culture. Also, the fact that people are called by various names depending on gender, position, rank, and relationship settings adds to the difficulty of relationships and communication. These characteristics naturally reflect in conversations with AI as well. I believe this will be a unique linguistic experience Korean speakers encounter when communicating with AI.

Ultimately, what matters in interactions with AI is not just linguistic form but how conversations are coordinated and applied contextually. For AI to communicate naturally with humans, it must learn not only grammatical structures but also how Korean speakers form relationships through language. This will be a crucial factor in creating meaningful conversational flows beyond AI’s ability to generate sentences, and it will prompt us to reflect on human communication before communicating with AI.

Professor Shin Ji-young of Korea University (center) is being interviewed at Munhakgwa Jiseongsa in Seogyo-dong, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

- What about the ‘addressing issue’ in Korean society?

▲ The addressing issue is not merely a linguistic feature but an important element that directly reflects our relationship formation and hierarchical structure. Korean rarely uses second-person pronouns, so when addressing others, we must consider titles or social roles. However, this addressing system is not applied equally across all professions and relationships. For example, ‘professor-nim’ or ‘lawyer-nim’ feels natural, but expressions like ‘dancer-nim’ or ‘singer-nim’ still feel unfamiliar. This is not just a linguistic habit but relates to the social perception that certain professions are more authoritative.

Moreover, Korean has a strong feature of reflecting relationships even in sentence-ending expressions. The honorific system that reflects hierarchy is not just about using respectful expressions but must intricately reflect the relationships among the subject, object, and listener within sentences. For example, the expression ‘Americano naosyotseumnida’ (literally ‘Americano has come out’) applies honorifics even to objects, reflecting how the speaker perceives the listener. Similarly, expressions like ‘dora-nuusilkeyyo’ (literally ‘I will turn over’) originally indicating first-person intention are used toward the second person as a linguistic strategy to soften commands. Korean is not just a communication tool but an important medium for regulating social relationships.

Ultimately, the addressing issue requires deep reflection on our society’s hierarchy and relationship-setting methods, not just differences in language use. As times change, we need to seek new linguistic ways to respect each other regardless of profession or age. It is not about blindly following existing addressing systems but about collectively considering what forms of address are appropriate in the social relationships we will build.

Professor Shin Ji-young of Korea University (center) is being interviewed at Munhakgwa Jiseongsa in Seogyo-dong, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun

- You mentioned that before communicating with AI, it is time to think about communication among humans. Why is intergenerational communication still difficult in Korean society?

▲ I believe the difficulty in intergenerational communication is not simply due to differences in values but deeply rooted in linguistic structures and hierarchical culture in relationship-setting methods. In the past, social status determined hierarchy, but today, age, occupation, and family order continue that role. In Korean, when addressing others, age and status must be considered, which reinforces vertical relationships. Younger generations naturally expect equal relationships, but older generations establish hierarchy through honorifics and forms of address.

The problem is that when this gap is not bridged, people tend to give up on conversation itself. Especially, the culture of forming friendships based on age narrows social networks and limits opportunities for diverse experiences and perspectives. In contrast, overseas, people often become friends naturally beyond generational differences. Just as we broaden our horizons by experiencing unfamiliar environments through travel, we need to learn different linguistic sensibilities across generations and experiment with communication methods. Language is a tool for relationships, and communication is only possible when relationships are smooth. Rather than being trapped in vertical frameworks, it is important to cultivate linguistic sensibilities that understand and coordinate with each other. Intergenerational dialogue should not be a mere exchange of opinions but a process of expanding each other’s linguistic frameworks.

Habit of speaking informally or commanding AI unconsciously affects human conversations

Beyond simple information transfer,
efforts to consider and understand context are essential
Develop abilities to communicate sensorially,
including facial expressions, intonation, gestures, and subtle atmospheres

- Then, what linguistic attitudes should we consider when communicating with AI?

▲ We need to consider whether to treat AI as a simple tool or as an entity with which we can form relationships. All human relationships begin and are maintained through speech. Just as relationships break when speech stops, language is not just a communication medium but a core element of social relationships. So, what linguistic attitudes should we adopt in setting relationships with AI? Many people use informal speech or commands with AI, while others use honorifics. This depends on how they perceive AI. Essentially, AI does not feel emotions, but humans inevitably respond emotionally to conversational partners.

An interesting point is that when writing, people use neutralizing sentences to moderate relationships, but in speech, immediate communication leads to establishing hierarchy. Such linguistic habits inevitably reflect in interactions with AI. Therefore, we must consider socially how to define linguistic relationships between AI and humans. It is time to carefully discuss what position AI will occupy in human conversations and how that relationship will influence our language culture.

Professor Shin Ji-young

- What linguistic competencies should we prepare for in the AI era?

▲ As AI becomes part of everyday conversation, paradoxically, human communication skills will become even more important. AI can deliver information quickly and efficiently, but it cannot learn nonverbal elements such as human emotions, expressions, and movements. Ultimately, genuine relationship formation occurs through empathy and interaction beyond language. The problem is that interaction with AI may significantly influence human conversational habits. Many people speak informally or command AI, which may unconsciously affect human-to-human conversations. Conversely, using honorifics with AI and forming relationships reflects a perception of AI not as a mere tool but as a new conversational partner. Amid these changes, we must carefully consider how conversations with AI will affect our linguistic sensibilities and ways of relating.

So, what should we prepare for in the AI era? Beyond simple information transfer, the ability to consider others and understand context is essential. Especially, AI analyzes language as text but cannot fully read human emotions or nonverbal expressions. However, in human communication, facial expressions, intonation, gestures, and subtle atmospheres play crucial roles. For example, the same words can have entirely different meanings depending on facial expressions and body language. As we become more accustomed to communicating with AI, we should rather enrich nonverbal expressions and cultivate the ability to communicate sensorially.

Professor Shin Ji-young

In other words, the AI era is not just about learning how to converse with machines but about contemplating how to coordinate emotions and expressions within human relationships. As interactions with machines increase, we must strengthen human elements. Conveying emotions through movements and facial expressions and deeply understanding body language will be communication skills increasingly needed in the AI era. AI is both an entity we address and a mirror reflecting how we use language and body. Therefore, the most important competency to prepare for the AI era is not technological proficiency but learning how to connect more deeply with people.

Professor Kim Dae-sik, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, KAIST

Choreographer Kim Hye-yeon (CEO of Yeonist)