Korea Urged To Build Social Consensus For AI-Led Growth

According to Yonhap, South Korea needs to address the economic and social fallout from AI-driven growth as the government pushes to make the country a top artificial intelligence powerhouse. The article said the Lee Jae Myung administration is pursuing three major projects, including semiconductor and data center hubs, while a global statement by experts warned that AI could become radically more powerful over the next 10 years, transform economies faster than the Industrial Revolution and displace large numbers of jobs. The piece said the Korean government hosted a two-day forum earlier this week on social issues and AI technological innovation, and argued that companies and policymakers must prepare for labor, welfare and ethics challenges. It cited tensions already seen in Korea, including disputes at Samsung Electronics over bonus payments and protests by unionized Hyundai Motors workers over the adoption of Atlantis humanoid robots on factory floors. Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon said, “We now need a new social contract that is befitting the new age of AI.”