South Korea's National AI Strategy Committee discussed legal and institutional improvement measures to use AI to provide tailored welfare benefits needed by individuals.

The committee held a seminar on Jan. 6 under its social affairs subcommittee on using AI to move welfare away from an application-based system. The seminar was arranged to reflect tasks on promoting this approach in a draft national AI action plan.

Attendees included Yoo Jae-yeon, head of the social affairs subcommittee, other subcommittee members, Bae Kyung-taek, director general for welfare policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and Jang Yong-je, a legislative researcher at the National Assembly Research Service.

The seminar discussed the need to improve the application-based principle under the Framework Act on Social Security, a phased expansion of automatic payments focused on universal benefits, and measures to increase the use of AI in selective benefits.

Jang Yong-je, who delivered a presentation, stressed the need to shift welfare administration to a pre-emptive and preventive support system in line with advances in AI technology. He also said it was necessary to review whether the current legal framework sufficiently supports such a shift.

Participants agreed that AI-based welfare beyond an application-based system has the potential to improve access to rights and reduce blind spots in welfare coverage. They also shared the view that it is important to design systems that comprehensively consider personal data protection, administrative accountability and feasibility for on-the-ground application.

Yoo said AI-based welfare beyond an application-based system is an important task to shift the welfare policy paradigm from ex post response to preventive action. He said a phased and realistic approach is needed, along with legal and institutional improvements that can work in actual settings.