InterviewAI's two paths: Why Canada is cautious while South Korea races to adopt

Lyse Langlois, CEO and executive director of the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technologies, known as Obvia, poses during an interview with The Korea Times at its newsroom in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Canada is the birthplace of several pioneers in artificial intelligence (AI). Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, a computer and cognitive scientist known for his breakthrough work on artificial neural networks which earned him the nickname “the godfather of AI,” is from Canada. Other influential figures such as Yoshua Bengio, a leading researcher in deep learning, and Joelle Pineau, a prominent computer scientist and professor at McGill University, are also Canadian.

Despite this impressive talent pool, Canada has remained cautious about the widespread adoption of AI in everyday life.

In 2018, Canada launched the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technologies, known as Obvia, with funding from the province of Quebec. Obvia is a research network designed to study the social implications of AI and provide guidance to policymakers. Notably, it was established years before ChatGPT made its global debut in November 2022 — a sign of Canada’s far-sighted, careful approach to AI.

“Our founding vision has remained unchanged,” Lyse Langlois, CEO and executive director of Obvia and professor at Laval University in Quebec, said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at its newsroom in Seoul. “Developing AI is not enough. We must ensure that it truly benefits society.”

Since its inception, the state-funded organization has collaborated with 300 academics from 12 Canadian universities, as well as partners from public, private and community organizations. Its experts come from diverse fields including law, ethics, social sciences, engineering, economics and health.

“What matters is the direction society chooses. Obvia’s research shows that the future of work depends largely on the political, economic and societal decisions we make today,” Langlois noted.

Langlois is currently in Korea as a visiting scholar at Korea University. Since her arrival in Seoul in September, Obvia has signed a partnership agreement with the university to strengthen scientific cooperation in data protection, digital security and AI governance.

Among its many priorities, Langlois said, Obvia places a strong emphasis on building public awareness about the responsible use of AI. “Since its creation, Obvia has made public awareness — especially among younger generations — a priority in order to foster responsible uses of artificial intelligence,” she said. “From the outset, we have aimed to draw attention to the social impacts of AI as well as the limitations of current systems, emphasizing that these technologies are neither neutral nor infallible.”

Canada’s cautious approach to AI is in some ways comparable to that of South Korea, a country that is often described as an early adopter of new technologies.

South Korea ranks first globally in ChatGPT smartphone app user growth rates and has one of the highest proportions of paid subscribers. It is also the world’s second-largest contributor to ChatGPT’s revenue, following the United States. Combined with strong digital infrastructure, Korea’s experimental, tech-savvy and trend-sensitive consumers have long made the nation a global test bed for various industries.

The Korean government has responded to the public’s enthusiasm by setting an ambitious goal to make AI the country’s next growth engine. It aims to position Korea among the world’s top three AI powerhouses, alongside the U.S. and China.

President Lee Jae Myung underscored this ambition during his recent meeting with SoftBank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son at the presidential office.

Lee described what he called an “AI-based society” as a central goal of his presidential term. “It refers to a society where all individuals, private companies, public institutions and other groups adopt AI at least at a basic level,” he said. “The Korean public understands both the risks and the usefulness of AI. Therefore, we are trying to invest in technologies that minimize these risks while maximizing its benefits.”

In response, Son urged Lee to embrace artificial superintelligence (ASI) — a hypothetical software-based form of AI with intellectual capabilities beyond those of humans — when shaping Korea’s AI policies. He drew parallels to his past recommendations to Korean leaders, including a meeting with President Kim Dae-jung where he emphasized the importance of broadband and a conversation with President Moon Jae-in, during which they spoke about AI. Now, in his meeting with President Lee, Son highlighted ASI as key to Korea's future.

The advent of AI has sparked both excitement and concern. Some celebrate AI as a game changer that will reshape future society, while others fear it will isolate humans — particularly in the workplace. A common worry is that many tasks currently performed by people will be automated, leading to large-scale job losses.

However, Obvia’s research indicates that these fears are largely overstated.

“AI is already transforming many industries, but the idea of a widespread replacement of humans does not reflect what research is showing,” Langlois said. “At Obvia, we observe that AI mostly automates specific tasks — often repetitive or low value-added — rather than entire jobs. The most likely trajectory is, therefore, a redistribution of roles, where AI supports workers instead of replacing them.”

She emphasized that there are areas in which humans still clearly outperform AI.

“Findings from Obvia’s impact assessments highlight several human capabilities that remain difficult to replicate. Jobs in education, healthcare, social work or justice rely on listening, contextual judgment and emotional understanding — dimensions AI cannot reproduce,” she said. “AI can generate content, but the ability to interpret, make meaning and create something genuinely new in dialogue with society remains uniquely human.”

The same applies to the news industry, she noted. Like other fields, newsrooms will undoubtedly undergo significant changes.

“To begin with, AI can automate certain newsroom tasks. For example, it can generate visuals, draft content and produce routine updates such as sports scores, weather reports or financial summaries,” she said. “This could free up time for journalists to focus on higher-value work, allowing them more time for investigation, analysis and fact-checking.”

Despite these benefits, Langlois warned that new risks require careful attention from journalists to ensure they do not materialize.

Misinformation, the reinforcement of stereotypes and factual inaccuracies are some of the risks that may arise when AI is involved in content production. As such, journalists must thoroughly double-check all materials produced by themselves and their news organizations.

“Humans must remain responsible for what is published. They should verify facts, provide context and exercise ethical vigilance,” she said.