Samsung's Taemoon Roh: "Practical Usefulness, Openness, and Trust Must Be Top Priorities in AI Design and Development"

Contributed Op-Ed to The Wall Street Journal
First Samsung Electronics CEO to Do So
Shares Perspective on Current State and Direction of AI
"Must Maintain the Essence That Enables Expansion into Practical Innovation"
"The Key Is Whether AI Can Understand Context and Intent to Earn Trust"

Taemoon Roh, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics (Head of DX Division), emphasized in an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal on January 20 (local time) that "practical usefulness, openness, and trustworthiness must be prioritized above all else in the design and development of artificial intelligence (AI)."

Taemoon Roh, President and CEO of Samsung Electronics (Head of DX Division). Samsung Electronics

President Roh cited "Amara's Law" and wrote, "We must never lose sight of the essence that allows AI to expand into everyday, practical innovation." Amara's Law is a term that defines the tendency for new technologies to be overestimated in the short term and underestimated in the long term.

This is reportedly the first time a Samsung Electronics CEO has contributed an op-ed to The Wall Street Journal. President Roh stated, "The core question about AI is no longer about awareness, but about how practical and helpful AI can be in real life," adding, "The key is whether AI can fully understand context and intent to earn trust."

To achieve this, President Roh pointed out that companies must design AI that is accessible to more people (Reach), can be used naturally without the need for learning (Openness), and is built with reliable performance and security (Confidence). He explained, "The real challenge facing the industry is not about enhancing AI capabilities, but about designing AI that people can use naturally, without having to create a 'project' to do so."

He further stated, "For AI to become universal, it must function equally well across all languages, cultures, and usage contexts," and added, "Openness is not limited to language; for more people to use AI comfortably, it must be intuitive enough to use without separate learning." He also said, "Whether in the short term or the long term, the true value of AI does not emerge from benchmarks or model comparisons," and emphasized, "It will only be revealed in the ordinary moments when more people understand the world, participate, and live their daily lives more easily."