Personal Information Protection Commission Launches Dedicated AI Privacy Task Force

The International Conference on AI and Data Privacy was held on the 23rd at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul. Go Hak-su, Chairman of the Personal Information Protection Commission, is delivering the welcome address. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

As the development of artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT increases the risk of personal information infringement, the Personal Information Protection Commission has formed a dedicated team. The team will help not only address AI-related personal information violations but also assist companies utilizing AI in adapting to the newly revised Personal Information Protection Act.

On the 6th, the Personal Information Protection Commission announced the enforcement regulations for its organizational rules, establishing the AI Privacy Team (hereinafter referred to as the ‘AI Team’) dedicated to handling AI-related privacy issues, and officially launched the team.

Established as a follow-up to the ‘Policy Directions for Safe Use of Personal Information in the AI Era’ announced by the Commission on August 3, the AI Team will shift from a regulation-centered approach to a ‘principle-centered’ regulatory system that presents principles to be followed in the AI environment. In this process, it plans to focus efforts on resolving uncertainties that companies may face.

First, the AI Team will serve as a one-stop contact point for communication and cooperation between the government and the private sector, providing legal interpretation and consulting to AI operators, responding to various requests such as ‘prior appropriateness review,’ and coordinating interests. The ‘prior appropriateness review system,’ to be piloted from October, is a system where the Commission and operators jointly explore personal information protection measures from the early stages, and if the implementation is deemed appropriate, administrative sanctions are exempted. Through this, it aims to resolve legal uncertainties for companies and support stable business operations.

To specify personal information processing principles and standards reflecting the rapidly changing characteristics of AI, the Commission will form the ‘AI Privacy Public-Private Policy Council’ in October, involving various stakeholders from industry, academia, the legal sector, and civic groups. Through this, detailed tasks such as ▲ AI data processing standards ▲ risk assessment ▲ transparency assurance will be discussed, and concrete guidelines applicable in the field will be prepared.

Furthermore, the AI Team will take the lead in efforts to establish international norms in the AI personal information field and expand global cooperation systems. Following the basic directions of the ‘Paris Initiative’ and the ‘Digital Rights Charter,’ which declare the new digital order, the team will actively participate in global AI norm discussions and promote communication and cooperation with major countries’ personal information supervisory bodies and operators.

Chairman Ko Hak-su stated, “The Personal Information Protection Commission has taken the first step toward establishing an AI personal information regulatory system and securing a promotion system to lead global norms,” adding, “We will work together with the public and private sectors to reduce regulatory uncertainties in the AI field and make citizens’ daily lives safer and more convenient.”

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