The government is preparing a national-level AI safety policy. Through a working-level consultative body involving industry and experts, it will flesh out a management system to respond to AI risks and measures to strengthen safety capabilities.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said on Tuesday it has formed a public-private working-level consultative body to prepare a "National AI Safety Ecosystem Master Plan" and will begin full operations from October.

MSIT is drawing up a government-level AI safety master plan as it seeks to become one of the world’s three leading AI powers. With the technology and industrial environment changing rapidly amid recent advances in cutting-edge AI, it formed the working group to reflect views from industry and experts in policy.

The consultative body will review three main strategies and key tasks in the master plan and identify new and supplementary tasks reflecting global AI safety policies and industry and technology trends. The three strategies are to build a national AI safety management system, strengthen capabilities to respond to cutting-edge AI safety, and create a safe AI environment in people’s daily lives.

Participants include related organisations such as MSIT and the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee, the AI Safety Institute, the National Information Society Agency (NIA), the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI) and the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA). The group will consist of around 25 members, including domestic and overseas AI companies, small and medium-sized firms and startups, the Korea Artificial Intelligence and Software Industry Association, the Korea Startup Forum, and experts on AI technology and legal and institutional systems.

Industry will share experiences and views from the field on AI development and use. Related organisations and experts are set to review policy tasks from various perspectives, including technology, policy and legal systems.

MSIT plans to review views presented by the consultative body and, after consultations with relevant ministries, establish the National AI Safety Ecosystem Master Plan by December this year.

Lee Jin-soo (이진수), MSIT director general for AI policy planning, said it is time to strengthen national capabilities to respond to risks from cutting-edge AI. He said the ministry will draw up effective national AI safety measures reflecting acceptance in the field as well as global AI safety policy and technology trends.