Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Permanent Mission to the International Maritime Organization

- Reaffirming South Korea's position as a powerhouse in AI and digital technology

- South Korea to host the next mini virtual summit, becoming a global leader in normative discussions on AI

The Ministry of Science and ICT (hereinafter referred to as 'MSIT') announced the results of the Korean delegation's attendance at the first AI Safety Summit, held at Bletchley Park in the United Kingdom, throughout November 1^st and 2^nd.

The AI Safety Summit was held for the first time in the UK as a follow-up measure to the UK-US summit in last June, which recognized the necessity of international cooperation in order to ensure that potential benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) are accessible to all people, while minimizing the risks it may pose to humanity.

* Attendees of the ministerial meeting from November 1-2: A total of 140 persons, consisted of ministers in charge of AI-related policies from 28 countries, including Korea, G7 member countries, Australia, and Singapore, representatives of leading digital technology businesses, including CEO of Tesla Motors Elon Musk and CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman, and renowned scholars, including Professor Yoshua Bengio and Professor Stuart J. Russel, and more.

* Attendees of the summit on November 2: Ten heads of state including President of the Republic of Korea Yoon Suk Yeol, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, US Vice President Kamala D. Harris, and Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and more.

MSIT summarized the results of its participation in the AI Safety Summit into the following three key achievements:

First, the delegates of the Ministry had an opportunity to deepen their understanding on the AI governance trends of major countries, including the US, UK, and the European Union (EU), through the event. Meanwhile, MSIT introduced Korea's key policies on AI and digital norms, such as the Digital Bill of Rights, and promised further cooperation with the international community.

In detail, UK Prime Minister Sunak and US Vice President Harris presented plans to establish research institutes in their respective countries specializing in AI safety. The European Union shared discussions in progress with the goal of enacting AI legislation by early December. Notably, President Yoon Suk Yeol, who was virtually present at the summit via video conference, introduced the Digital Bill of Rights, which codifies the five guiding principles to navigate the era of digital technology and AI, namely, freedom, fairness, safety, innovation, and solidarity. He also expressed Korea's commitment to contributing to the formulation of global AI governance and to offering active support for the establishment of an international organization under the United Nations.

Second, MSIT announced that Korea played a significant role in the event by delivering opening and closing statements during the ministerial meeting, as the co-host of the next summit, highlighting Korea's status as a global powerhouse in the field of hyper-scale AI to the international community.

* Next summit will be held in the form of a mini virtual summit, conducted through teleconference six months from now. It is organized as an interim review for the follow-up measures to the first summit, and will discuss agenda items for the second summit.

             After the mid-point of the event, Korea had received numerous requests for meetings from many countries. They expressed their anticipation for Korea to demonstrate leadership in shaping international norms and governance, while actively exploring additional agenda items as the host of the next summit. Minister Lee Jong Ho emphasized the importance of developing low-power, low-energy AI chips to address substantial power consumption and carbon emission issues of AI technology, which was responded with significant interest and support by many.

             Third, during the AI Safety Summit, Korea conducted several bilateral meetings with major countries, including the EU, UK, Australia, Singapore, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia, as well as international organizations such as the UN and research institutes such as the Alan Turing Institute. These meetings resulted in commitments to mutual policy cooperation.

             In particular, the Korean delegation had shown its disposition in AI policy that minimal regulation be set to restrain from hindering the growth of the industry, while assessing the comprehensive status of science, technology, and ICT cooperation between two parties during each bilateral meeting. Additionally, Korea asked of support for its bid for hosting World Expo 2030 in Busan. Finally, the Ministry emphasized the visit to the Alan Turing Institute, renowned as the world's leading AI research center, where discussions on collaboration opportunities such as international joint research took place, as an important achievement of the event.

             Minister Lee Jong Ho evaluated the first-ever AI Safety Summit as successful, which brought together representatives from 28 countries worldwide, as well as major digital technology businesses, scholars, and much more. He stated, "There is a sense of heavy responsibility, as South Korea takes the center stage in hosting the next AI Safety Summit to gather leading figures of the global AI discussion in one place."

             His message conveyed MSIT's dedication to hosting the next mini virtual summit in six months. As the ministry responsible for policies on trustworthy and safe AI, MSIT will work closely with relevant ministries, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to make thorough preparation for the successful summit. The Minister further stated, "We will engage in careful deliberation of new topics that have emerged as an output of this summit, for example, establishment of AI safety testing framework and research institutes for AI safety, and formulation of policies based on extensive consultations with the private sector. MSIT will make every effort to ensure that Korea can lead normative discussions on AI in the international stage along with the United Kingdom, as the co-host of next AI Safety Summit."

Please refer to the attached PDF.