Paul Button, IBM President: "AI National Policy Must Be 'Central' for Korea's Next Level Growth"

President Button's Keynote at '2024 AmCham AI Summit'
"23% of Companies Considering or Implementing AI Face Ethical Issues"
"Ethical Principles Must Be Shared to Prevent Bias Intervention"

"For South Korea to take a step further in growth and prosperity in its dynamic economy, the government and organizations must place responsible artificial intelligence (AI) development and utilization at the core of the national agenda and policies."

Paul Burton, IBM Asia Pacific General Manager, stated this on the 21st as the keynote speaker at the ‘2024 American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) AI Summit’ held at the Conrad Seoul Hotel. He said, "Asia has long been at the center of global innovation."

AMCHAM explained that this AI Summit was held to explore government policies related to fostering the AI industry and the roles of academia and industry. The event was attended by Burton, James Kim, Chairman and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, Christopher Padilla, IBM Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs, Eom Yeol, AI Policy Officer at the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Andrew Herup, Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Korea. Participants introduced AI adoption cases across industries sparked by the ChatGPT craze and the current status of domestic and international AI ecosystems.

On the 21st, attendees of the "2024 American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM) AI Summit" held at Conrad Seoul Hotel in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, are taking a commemorative photo. Paul Button, President of IBM Asia Pacific (fourth from the right in the front row), and James Kim, Chairman and CEO of AMCHAM (sixth from the left in the front row), are posing.
[Photo by Moon Chae-seok]

Burton emphasized that as the scope of AI utilization in corporate business expands, corporate leaders and policymakers must establish clear principles regarding AI ethics. He added, "Leaders of organizations such as companies have the responsibility to participate in the development and lifecycle of AI," and "It is up to the leaders to implement AI throughout the organization in a systematic and trustworthy manner."

He revealed part of the results from the ‘IBM Global AI Adoption Index,’ which surveyed over 2,300 IT professionals last year. According to the results, 23% of companies considering or reviewing AI adoption cited ethical issues as a difficulty in adoption. He said, "This means it is all the more important to maintain a balance between AI technology development and the policy environment," and "I hope that after next month’s Korean general election, the National Assembly and the Ministry of Science and ICT will share firm principles on AI ethics so that Korea’s AI policy can further evolve."

Christopher Padilla, IBM Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs, in his presentation titled ‘How Should We Regulate in the Global AI Era?’ said, "For the Korean government to build a successful AI ecosystem, it must reflect the different roles of developers and users in policies and assign corresponding obligations," and "It is necessary to regulate according to the situations in which AI is utilized."

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