The Ministry of Science and ICT on Nov. 13 said Kang Ha-yeon, a research fellow at the Korea Information Society Development Institute, was elected the first chair of the newly merged Working Party on Artificial Intelligence Governance and Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (Ministry of Science and ICT)

By Xu Aiying

A domestic scholar is the first chair of the newly merged Working Group on Artificial Intelligence Governance (AIGO) and Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's (OECD).

The Ministry of Science and ICT on Nov. 13 said Kang Ha-yeon, a research fellow at the Korea Information Society Development Institute, was elected to the position.

This marked the first leadership change since GPAI in July last year was formally integrated into the OECD framework. Kang is the first Korean to chair the consolidated body, with her appointment seen to represent Korea's leading role in global AI discussions.

Since becoming the first global organization to adopt AI principles in 2019, the OECD has provided guidance on setting the direction of world AI governance.

AIGO, a core working group of the OECD, shares AI policies among member countries based on these principles and talks key issues such as ethics, safety and standards for the advancement of AI.

GPAI is a multilateral AI consultative body launched in 2020 at the suggestion of the G7 group of major economies. The merger of both bodies has strengthened their role as a focal point for global AI cooperation.

Kang said, "I will actively help ensure that OECD talks on AI governance develop into an inclusive and actionable policy framework that can be agreed on and participated in not only by developed economies but also developing and non-member countries."

She has spearheaded Korea's international cooperation in digital and AI affairs, serving as vice chair of AIGO and GPAI and co-chair of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Telecommunications Working Group.

At the APEC Digital and AI Ministerial Meeting in August, her negotiation skills were considered to have secured a unanimous agreement and the adoption of a ministerial statement by APEC's 21 member economies despite political complexities such as the Sino-U.S. conflict.

xuaiy@korea.kr