KCC Announces 'Generative AI User Protection Guidelines'... Effective from Next Month 28

The Korea Communications Commission announced on the 28th that it has released the 'Generative Artificial Intelligence Service User Protection Guidelines,' which include practical measures for businesses to refer to in order to prevent damages during the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) services such as text, audio, and images.

The guidelines, which will take effect on March 28, one month later, present four basic principles and six implementation methods aimed at generative AI developers and service providers.

The six implementation methods include ▲protection of user personality rights ▲efforts to inform the decision-making process ▲efforts to respect diversity ▲management in the process of collecting and utilizing input data ▲responsibility and participation in problem resolution ▲efforts for sound distribution and dissemination.

To enhance the understanding of businesses, exemplary cases in the area of user protection among currently provided services are also provided. This is because, with the advancement of generative AI technology, side effects such as advanced manipulated videos (deepfakes), sexual crime materials, discrimination, and bias have also emerged. Consequently, there has been a demand to establish an institutional foundation to protect user safety and rights.

To this end, the Korea Communications Commission formed a research team including the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI) and AI experts. They reviewed past cases of generative AI damages and the status of user protection in major domestic and international services to prepare these guidelines. The Commission announced the main contents of the guidelines at the 'AI Service User Protection Academic Conference' held in September last year and made efforts to include practical content by holding corporate meetings with major businesses.

The guidelines can be downloaded from the Korea Communications Commission website starting today, and the Commission plans to review the validity of the guidelines every two years from the effective date and take measures such as improvements.

Shin Young-gyu, Director of the Broadcasting and Communications User Policy Bureau, said, "We expect that these guidelines will enable generative AI businesses to establish desirable user protection measures," adding, "Ultimately, this will guarantee users' rights and create a foundation for related services to be trusted."