SINGAPORE — In response to the AI law passed by Korea’s National Assembly late last year, Jared Ragland, Senior Director of Policy for APAC at the Business Software Alliance (BSA), called it a significant step forward but noted the need for further refinements to ensure its long-term success:

"The Business Software Alliance (BSA) congratulates the Republic of Korea’s National Assembly for voting to enact a comprehensive law on artificial intelligence (AI). This is an important development for Korea, the region, and the world. To ensure the legislation achieves its objectives, we encourage the Government to consider refinements that would ensure the law has the clarity and workability needed for it to be successful over time.

 

The new law includes some very positive aspects, including establishing the AI safety research institute in law and providing support and training for the use of AI. We have previously urged the National Assembly to make sure that the legislation clearly delineates roles and responsibilities for companies along the AI value chain and is more precise regarding the scope of high-risk use cases of AI. These areas would benefit from further amendments over time. In addition, the legislation’s required methods for labeling synthetic content, and fundamental rights impact assessments also call for continued improvement by the National Assembly.

 

The government of Korea should continue to engage with industry and look toward prevailing models of AI governance to ensure that the Korean public can trust AI and ultimately access its benefits for the economy."