"Using AI to Combat Digital Sex Crimes" Ministry of Science and ICT and Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Collaborate

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The Ministry of Science and ICT is joining hands with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to engage in cross-ministerial cooperation by utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) technology to respond to digital sex crimes. They also plan to actively use advanced ICT to prevent smartphone overdependence among youth and career discontinuity among women.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT on the 4th, Minister Choi Ki-young and Minister Lee Jung-ok of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family signed a "Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation between the Science and Technology·ICT Sector and Women, Youth, and Family Policies" at the Government Seoul Office that morning. This agreement was made for the two ministries to cooperate on ▲ development and utilization of technology to prevent digital sex crime victimization ▲ discovery and expansion of women in science and technology workforce and prevention and support for career discontinuity ▲ spreading a culture to prevent and resolve smartphone and internet overdependence among youth.

Going forward, the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plan to jointly identify the technological needs required at victim support sites to respond to increasingly diverse digital sex crimes due to technological changes, and to plan and promote technology development projects for rapid victim support. Since the second half of last year, the two ministries have been using AI technology to delete illegal sex crime footage distributed on webhard platforms.

Additionally, they will promote the discovery and expansion of women scientists and engineers and support prevention and assistance to enable continuous economic activity without career discontinuity. To this end, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family plans to expand science and technology-oriented Saeil Centers to regions, which help women scientists and engineers with career discontinuity easily find jobs suited to their characteristics and needs. Among the current 158 Saeil Centers, the Seoul Science and Technology Saeil Center (operated by the Korea Center for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology) is the only center specialized in the science and technology field. This institution is a comprehensive employment support organization for women scientists and engineers with career discontinuity.

Furthermore, the two ministries will cooperate to expand and utilize the pool of female talent by jointly discovering women talents in the science and technology field, and actively support career return of women scientists and engineers through career return education programs and building a network of career return and alternative workforce candidates.

They will also collaborate on preventing and resolving smartphone overdependence among infants and youth, and strengthening support for youth career education related to science and technology and information and communication technology. Specifically, to assist younger youth struggling to regulate smartphone use, the Ministry of Science and ICT will develop and share overdependence prevention programs for parents and caregivers, while the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will distribute and expand overdependence prevention programs using the caregiving service promotion system.

Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT emphasized, “Science and technology and information and communication technology currently have a profound impact on our lives and society, and their importance is expected to grow even more in the future. Therefore, it is very important that women, youth, and families can wisely and safely utilize science and technology and information and communication technology.”

Minister Lee Jung-ok of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said, “We have united in our intention to realize a society where women and youth feel safe and to seek the creation of gender-equal jobs,” adding, “Through cooperation between the two ministries, we will do our best to provide multifaceted support for digital sex crime victims, women scientists and engineers, and youth with smartphone overdependence.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.