The government and the autonomous driving technology industry discussed ways to protect personal information safely while raising the competitiveness of the autonomous driving industry.

Personal Information Protection Commission Chair Song Kyung-hee (송경희) visited Hyundai Motorstudio in Goyang, Gyeonggi province, on Thursday and held an on-site meeting with companies related to self-driving cars and robots to rationalise personal data regulations.

The meeting was held as a follow-up to discussions on regulatory rationalisation for the autonomous driving and robotics industry at the first key regulatory rationalisation strategy meeting last year. Six companies attended: Hyundai Motor, Neubility, Woowa Brothers, Kakao Mobility, Autonomous A2Z and RideFlux.

At the meeting, the commission explained its policy direction on rationalising personal data regulations to support the development of autonomous driving artificial intelligence. Based on difficulties and suggestions raised by industry, it focused on enabling safe and efficient use of raw video data captured by self-driving cars and robots while operating.

It first announced improvement measures including rationalising safety standards for regulatory sandbox demonstration exemptions so that companies can designate, under their responsibility, locations where use of raw video is needed. It also announced legal and institutional preparations for an AI shift, including establishing AI special provisions and expanding legal grounds for lawful data processing, and publishing various guides and technical guidance related to AI. It said it would create an environment in which AI developers can resolve regulatory uncertainty and focus on creative research and development through the regulatory sandbox, advance adequacy reviews and no-action opinion letters.

The commission also stressed that the vast amount of data collected by self-driving cars and robots is a key asset for industrial development, while it may contain information about specific individuals. It said companies should work to secure trust in personal data protection by establishing transparent and responsible data-use systems.