The Science and Technology Policy Institute(STEPI) held Science and Technology Policy Forum on April 9 in Seoul under the theme “AI Ethics: A Navigator for a Long and Challenging Journey of Innovation.” Engaging discussions took place with the participation of approximately 80 audience members. The forum is a long-standing professional discussion platform, hosted by the Science and Technology Policy Institute(STEPI), a leading think tank in science and technology policy in Korea, now in its 469th edition, serving as an open venue where policymakers and experts from diverse fields explore appropriate policy directions and discuss effective alternatives
At the event, Jiwoong Yoon, President of STEPI, and Alexei Grinbaum, Coordinator of AIOLIA, delivered congratulatory remarks, highlighting the value of collaboration between STEPI and the AIOLIA consortium.
Dr. Jiyoung Suh delivered a presentation titled “AI Ethics as an Innovation Infrastructure: Challenges for Transforming AI Governance Based on the AIOLIA Care Robot Case.” Drawing on the AIOLIA case, she emphasized the need for an integrated AI governance framework supported by a continuous feedback loop spanning design, manufacturing, service, use, evaluation, and revision. She also proposed policy tools to enable developers and users to address technological and social challenges based on shared ethical norms.
Dr. Kwonil Kimpresented “The Evolution of Norms in the Age of AI,”emphasizing the need to design sector-specific operational ethics under the AI Basic Act and discussing how AIOLIA research outcomes can be applied to Korea’s AI governance. He also proposed a risk-based government model combining ethical principles, self-regulation, and certification mechanisms.
The panel discussion, chaired by Prof. Sangwook Lee(Chair of the Ethics & Safety Subcommittee, AI Strategy High-level Consultative Council), brought together policymakers from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the National AI Strategy Committee, and the AI Safety Institute, as well as academic experts from the Korean Association for AI and Law and the Anthropocene Research Center, to explore practical approaches to operationalizing AI ethics, including insights from the AIOLIA project.
