[Digital Today reporter Lee Ho-jung] Kakao Impact, Kakao's corporate foundation, held the 'Saijoeun AI Forum' and presented a new direction for citizenship education in the artificial intelligence (AI) era.

On Feb. 25, Kakao Impact said it held a forum the previous day at Kakao's AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, to look back on the path of 'Saijoeun Digital World,' a youth digital citizenship education program, and discuss education paradigms for the AI era.

Attendees included Gyeonggi Province Superintendent of Education Im Tae-hee (임태희), BTF Cheongnamu Foundation founder Kim Jong-gi (김종기), 100 incumbent teachers from elementary, middle and high schools nationwide, and 50 people from the education, AI and policy fields. They discussed in depth the direction of citizenship education.

Saijoeun Digital World, which Kakao, Kakao Impact and the BTF Cheongnamu Foundation have run together since 2015, is the country's first privately led youth digital citizenship education program. Over about 11 years, it promoted healthy digital citizenship to about 280,000 people across 12,795 classes at 2,643 schools. It received a high satisfaction rating of 96.6 percent from teachers in the field, earning recognition for its effectiveness, and in 2023 was designated a special-field training institution by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin (최교진), who delivered congratulatory remarks by video, said, "In the AI era, along with the use of technology, an attitude of respecting others is very important." He added, "I hope this forum will serve as an opportunity to seek policy directions and ways for social participation to foster digital citizenship."

Kakao CEO Chung Shin-a (정신아) also said, "True AI citizenship is establishing standards and attitudes on how to coexist 'amicably' with AI." She added, "Kakao will help children make their own judgments and choose responsibly when using AI."

◆ Looking back on the past 10 years and discussing the requirements for future talent

The forum consisted of 3 sessions. In 'Session 1: The past 10 years, the digital citizenship we have created together,' participants reviewed efforts and achievements over the past 10 years. In 'Session 2: The next 10 years, imagining tomorrow with AI together,' experts from various fields discussed the future and the light and dark sides that AI technology could bring.

In the highlight, 'Session 3: The next 10 years, requirements for future talent to live well in the AI era,' Kakao Impact Chair Ryu Seok-young (류석영) and Gachon University Dean Jang Dae-ik (장대익) joined as panelists. They newly defined the capabilities children need to grow as agents of AI technology and proposed designing an educational environment to support that.

Ryu said, "I hope the discussions shared at today's forum will extend to classrooms and homes, and to policy and technology sites." He added, "Just as Kakao and Kakao Impact have taken the lead in citizenship education in the digital era, we will also proactively consider and put into practice AI citizenship in the AI era."

Based on the discussions, Kakao Impact will refine the AI citizenship curriculum for Saijoeun Digital World this year and continue supporting education for future generations by researching educational models. It also plans to release a video in March containing key content from the forum to drive changes in on-site education.