President Yoon Suk Yeol said that South Korea will harmoniously pursue AI safety, innovation and inclusivity as a responsible member of the international community. 

The president made the vow on Tuesday in his opening remarks at a virtual leaders’ session on the first day of the AI Seoul Summit, saying that since the emergence of “generative AI,” the rapid development of AI technology is expected to have a huge ripple effect on human society.

President Yoon and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak co-chaired the AI Seoul Summit, which comes about six months after the inaugural AI Safety Summit hosted by Britain in November last year. 

Yoon said that he has underscored the need to establish digital norms to keep pace with rapid changes in the digital environment caused by AI, mentioning the Digital Bill of Rights that South Korea released in September last year. 

The president also called for the creation of global digital norms and welcomed major countries’ efforts to establish AI safety research institutes, stressing the need to secure AI safety to minimize its negative effects and to ensure AI will not impair the well-being of society and democracy. 

The participants attending the leaders’ session adopted the Seoul Declaration for safe, innovative and inclusive AI.