Companies have flooded authorities with questions about obligations to ensure AI transparency and the scope of high-impact AI under the Framework Act on Artificial Intelligence that took effect last month.

The Ministry of Science and ICT said on Tuesday it is addressing industry questions and difficulties related to the AI Framework Act through an "AI Framework Act support desk".

The support desk, run jointly with the Korea AI and SW Industry Association (KOSA), provides consultations and guidance by phone and online to small and medium-sized firms, startups and other companies with questions about the AI Framework Act. Experts from specialist institutions and legal experts take part.

In the 10 days after the support desk opened on Jan. 22, it received a total of 172 inquiries, including 78 phone consultations and 94 online questions.

Phone consultations often involved simple questions about the online submission process and obligations to ensure AI transparency. When it was difficult to conclude a consultation, the desk guided companies to submit online inquiries to address practical difficulties. Online questions most often concerned the AI transparency obligation under Article 31 with 53 cases, or 56.4 percent, followed by confirmation of high-impact AI under Article 33 with 16 cases, or 17 percent, and definitions under Article 2 with 10 cases, or 10.6 percent.

The AI transparency obligation requires AI businesses to ensure users can clearly recognise they are using AI-based products and services and that the results provided are generated by AI. The ministry said it is continuing to receive questions about whether transparency obligations apply to services being used or provided, and about specific labelling methods to ensure transparency.

Questions related to high-impact AI were mainly about how to confirm whether AI being provided to users qualifies as high-impact AI. Many questions related to term definitions, including differences between AI businesses and users, and whether an inquiring service falls under an AI business or a user.

The support desk’s principle is to respond to online submissions within 72 hours of receipt, or within 14 days for matters requiring in-depth review. To quickly resolve corporate difficulties, it provided responses within 24 hours for the first 10 days from its opening.

The ministry and KOSA plan to produce and publish by March a casebook of Q&A examples covering standards or the scope of application of the AI Framework Act, based on key corporate questions and the consultations and guidance provided through the support desk over about a month.

Jin-soo Lee (이진수), director general for AI Policy Planning at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "We are operating the support desk to reduce confusion in the early stage of enforcing the AI Framework Act and to help the system take root in the field." He said, "We will continue to support consultations and guidance for companies through the end of the year, and we plan to conduct an in-depth analysis of inquiries and use it for institutional improvements."