The Korea Times close
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
Entertainment
& Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
Sports
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
Video
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • Site Map
  • E-paper
  • Subscribe
  • Register
  • LogIn
search close
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
Thu, July 7, 2022 | 05:33
Tech
KAIST launches ethics subcommittee on AI
Posted : 2018-06-07 15:32
Updated : 2018-06-08 12:01
Print Preview
Font Size Up
Font Size Down
By Jun Ji-hye

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has recently launched a new ethics subcommittee to study artificial intelligence (AI) in a bid to cope with a series of challenging ethical questions being posed by AI-powered systems worldwide.

KAIST President Shin Sung-chul
KAIST President Shin Sung-chul
"The ethics subcommittee on AI has been created under the KAIST Institute (KI) for Artificial Intelligence," an official from the leading science and technology research university said.

The creation of the new committee comes at a time when issues surrounding ethics and risk assessment involving intelligent machine systems have emerged as a hot potato around the world amid the breakneck development of the technology. The issues include how people can stay in control of intelligent systems and be protected from unintended consequences

KAIST itself became the subject of controversy after it launched a joint research center with local defense company, Hanwha Systems, in February to co-develop AI technologies to be applied to weapons systems.

At the time, the university faced a boycott from more than 50 researchers from around the world who threatened to stop all contact and academic collaboration until KAIST assured them that the weapons systems it develops with the defense firm will have meaningful human control.

On April 9, the researchers called off their boycott after KAIST President Shin Sung-chul sent letters to them saying the university "does not have any intention of engaging in the development of lethal autonomous weapons systems and killer robots."

A KAIST official said KI for AI and the university's research group studying "Emotional Intelligence Technology to Infer Human Emotion and Carry on Dialogue Accordingly" will jointly hold an international workshop on AI ethics on June 21. He said the research group has been studying the ethical and social issues involving AI since the project's launch in December 2016.

Prof. Toby Walsh of the University of New South Wales, who organized the now-cancelled boycott of KAIST, will give a speech on "The ethical arguments for and against autonomous weapons as well as the state of play in the United Nations on talks to preemptively ban them," he said.

Two more researchers from Japan and the United Kingdom have also been invited to the seminar and will speak about activities engaged in by Japanese AI researchers and activities of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) regarding AI ethics, respectively, a KAIST official noted.

Countries and companies have become more interested in investing in AI technology in an effort to develop new growth engines for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The development of the technology is raising expectations that AI-powered systems will transform lives for the better. But concerns involving innovative technology have also been raised.

Most recently, Google experienced controversy after some of its employees reportedly resigned, and almost 4,000 signed an internal petition to protest the firm's controversial contract to do AI work for the Pentagon. Amid mounting pressure, the technological giant reportedly decided not to renew the contract that expires in March 2019.

KI established in 2006 and consists of six subsidiary institutes, BioCentury, Information Technology Convergence, Robotics, NanoCentury, Health Science and Technology and Artificial Intelligence; as well as three centers _ the Saudi Aramco-KAIST CO2 Management Center, I-Space and the Fourth Industrial Revolution Intelligence Center.


Emailjjh@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
LG
  • Woman gets 1-year imprisonment for assaulting elderly man on subway train
  • Seoul gov't promotes veganism to fight climate crisis
  • First lady thrust back into spotlight over unofficial aide
  • Kakao falls victim to Google's in-app payment policy
  • Korea's new COVID-19 cases up for 2nd day amid resurgence concerns
  • Yoon orders military to swiftly punish North Korea in case of provocations
  • 'Stable environment needed to nurture Korean mathematicians': June Huh
  • President Yoon's approval rating falls: poll
  • Court upholds ban on rallies in front of ex-president's home in Yangsan
  • Appeals court upholds prison term for father for fracturing infant son's skull
  • Lee Jung-jae, Jung Woo-sung reunite after 23 years for Lee's directorial debut, 'Hunt' Lee Jung-jae, Jung Woo-sung reunite after 23 years for Lee's directorial debut, 'Hunt'
  • 3 black-and-white photo exhibitions offer testament to 20th-century world history 3 black-and-white photo exhibitions offer testament to 20th-century world history
  • [INTERVIEW] 'Money Heist: Korea' writer feels satisfied to expand series' franchise [INTERVIEW] 'Money Heist: Korea' writer feels satisfied to expand series' franchise
  • Jecheon festival to present film concerts Jecheon festival to present film concerts
  • BLACKPINK to drop new album in August BLACKPINK to drop new album in August
DARKROOM
  • Afghanistan earthquake killed more than 1,000

    Afghanistan earthquake killed more than 1,000

  • Divided America reacts to overturn of Roe vs. Wade

    Divided America reacts to overturn of Roe vs. Wade

  • Namaste: Yogis to celebrate International Yoga Day

    Namaste: Yogis to celebrate International Yoga Day

  • Poor hit harder by economic crisis

    Poor hit harder by economic crisis

  • Roland Garros 2022

    Roland Garros 2022

The Korea Times
CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Location
  • Media Kit
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Service
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • Mobile Service
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Policy
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • 고충처리인
  • Youth Protection Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group