South Korea’s chief privacy regulator was designated as one of the members of a newly launched advisory group in the United Nations dedicated to assisting the international community in managing the benefits and risks surrounding artificial intelligence.
On Friday, the Personal Information Protection Commission and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a joint statement on the nomination of Ko Hak-soo, the chairperson of the PIPC, as the representative of the UN high-level advisory body on AI. “There are diverse opinions on how to establish international norms on AI,” stated Ko. “We will serve as an intermediary between the nations at the forefront of developing the technology and those on the frontlines of using it, with our aim being to facilitate the most prosperous solutions for all concerned.”
The international organization has been working on forming this body since July, viewing it as a progressive step toward a globally coordinated landscape in which emerging technologies can be managed for the benefit of all. The UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the start of the advisory body on October 26 and shared a list of 39 representatives from countries spanning six continents. The members include government officials from Brazil and Saudi Arabia, as well as academics from the United States, Japan, Russia, and China.
The advisory body, which held its first meeting on October 27, plans to issue two reports, with one coming before the end of this year. The PIPC explained that the first report will focus on analyzing the possibility of international AI governance, and the second report, which will be issued by the summer of 2024, will make a recommendation on the form and function of a new international agency on AI governance.
