Discussions are gaining pace in South Korea on enacting a Basic Financial Security Act to guarantee financial access for low-income and low-credit groups. A policy forum in parliament reviewed legal and policy tasks, outcomes of existing programmes, overseas systems and potential economic and social effects. Proposals call for expanding policy-based finance beyond funding to link counselling, debt adjustment, recovery, self-reliance and asset building through a one-stop support system.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly expanding its capabilities, with its spread likened to how genes propagate and evolve across generations. Drawing on Richard Dawkins’ “The Selfish Gene” and the concept of memes, the column argues that apps, memes and AI can grow beyond their creators through sharing and self-learning. It asks whether AI has its own “genes” and explores potential risks, including competition, manipulation and crime, amid the global expansion of data centres.