InterviewKorea can lead in AI for older people, UN expert says

Korea is uniquely positioned to lead global efforts to design and test more inclusive artificial intelligence (AI) systems for older people, combining its advanced technological capabilities with the world’s fastest-aging population, according to a U.N. expert.

The country’s rapid technological development and equally fast demographic transition give it an unusual opportunity — and responsibility — to develop an age-inclusive model that can be adopted by other countries, said Zvezdan Pirtosek, the U.N. Independent Expert on the Enjoyment of All Human Rights by Older Persons.

Korea became a super-aged society in late 2024, as people aged 65 and older accounted for more than 20 percent of the population. The share is expected to continue to rise as its total fertility rate remains the world’s lowest, at around 0.8.

“I think Korea can lead discussions about these very, very important and timely issues,” he said in an interview with The Korea Times on Wednesday, adding that Korea can pioneer the development and testing of its own comprehensive AI models and policies, and that other nations “can learn a lot” from the results.

AI is entering everyday life with unprecedented speed and intensity, while aging is reshaping societies worldwide, he said. Korea faces the two trends at the same time more acutely than most countries. He called on Korea to apply a “rights before scale” principle as it expands AI-powered health care, welfare and other public services.

“I would encourage Korea to involve older persons much earlier. Too often, participation occurs when a product has already been designed and the only remaining question is whether users like it. Older persons should help define the problem, acceptable uses of data, conditions for consent and the outcomes by which success will be judged,” Pirtosek said. “It is much easier to correct a problem during design or a limited pilot than after an AI system has become the main gateway to a national service.”

He singled out health care, long-term care, social protection and other essential services as areas where safeguards are especially urgent. In the absence of protection, AI designed to improve people’s lives could instead deepen digital exclusion, enable intrusive surveillance or reproduce age-based biases in decisions affecting older people, he said.

That concern reflects a broader debate surrounding the use of AI in aging societies. AI tools can help older people live independently, while AI-powered systems and robots can remind users to take medication, detect falls and alert family members or caregivers.

Pirtosek said the danger is that automated systems can embed assumptions or biases that are difficult for people to identify. Once an AI system becomes the routine gateway to health care, welfare or care services, such errors can be reproduced at scale and become politically difficult to reverse.

“There must be timely human review before the consequences become irreversible,” said Pirtosek.

He added that Korea needs to develop legal protections, independent oversight and public understanding alongside the technology. The government should also retain human-led or hybrid alternatives for people who cannot or choose not to use AI-based services.

Throughout the process, Korea can make a particularly valuable international contribution by sharing not only effective uses of AI, but also lessons from unsuccessful programs and unintended consequences, he said.

The discussion took place at the 6th ASEM Forum on Human Rights of Older Persons, which brought together experts from Asia and Europe to discuss age-inclusive AI.

Pirtosek said the two regions can learn from each other. European countries can learn from Korea’s ability to test ideas, build digital infrastructure and turn technological research into practical services. Korea, meanwhile, can draw on their experience in translating human-rights principles into enforceable legal duties and institutional safeguards.

“The most promising collaboration would combine Korea’s capacity for implementation with European experience in turning principles into enforceable duties,” Pirtosek said. “I am equally convinced that older persons from both regions should be part of that collaboration from the beginning. Otherwise, even a sophisticated international dialogue will remain a conversation about older persons rather than one conducted with them.