Google Korea held the closing ceremony for the '2024 Google Korea Digital Responsibility Committee (hereafter the Committee)' on the 5th and noted on the 16th that it reflected on a year of activities aimed at exploring the direction of a responsible digital ecosystem and shared future plans.
In March of this year, Google Korea launched a company-wide committee to create a platform covering key areas of the digital ecosystem, including artificial intelligence (AI), content, and the app and game industries. Following that, it has operated three forums—App Ecosystem Forum, YouTube Open Forum, and Responsible AI Forum—quarterly for a total of four times each, fostering timely discussions surrounding the digital ecosystem. Thirty-nine experts from various fields, such as IT and technology, law, media and content, and consumer protection, have actively participated, contributing to heated discussions. Each session featured invited speakers from academia, industry experts, government officials, and Google employees, adding diverse and profound perspectives.
About 50 members, including forum members and Google Korea executives attending the closing ceremony, agreed that the committee served as a stepping stone for responsible growth and innovation in the digital ecosystem, evaluating it as an opportunity to view the digital ecosystem from multiple perspectives. In particular, many expressed that the newly established Responsible AI Forum and YouTube Open Forum provided timely platforms for discussion as AI technology and YouTube content emerged as hot topics in the digital ecosystem.
Additionally, the committee shared key points from each forum through a quarterly newsletter and facilitated active exchanges among forums by encouraging members to attend discussions outside their respective forums and share diverse opinions based on their expertise. Members expressed their hopes that Google Korea would continue to communicate with various participants in the digital ecosystem through the committee and other activities, listening to balanced perspectives.
Choi Jae-sik, a professor at KAIST's Kim Jae-cheol Graduate School of AI, said, "It was a meaningful time to deeply consider responsible AI development and application methods together with experts active in various fields such as law, technology, and management," and noted, "It was impressive to see Google striving to develop more responsible and useful AI technologies while leading the AI ecosystem with its generative AI, Gemini."
Sung Ki-hyun, an adjunct professor at Yonsei University's Graduate School of Communication and Media, also stated, "It was a meaningful time to confirm the positive impact YouTube has had on domestic users and the creator ecosystem, while also exploring ways to produce and distribute responsible content," and added, "As YouTube has established itself as a key platform in the content ecosystem, I hope it will continue to expand activities aimed at creating a healthy and proper content ecosystem, such as the 'Just a Moment' campaign."
The App Ecosystem Forum, now in its fourth term, was praised for comprehensively diagnosing major trends in the domestic app ecosystem and IT technology, while having in-depth discussions on the sustainable development direction of the app ecosystem. The fourth-term App Ecosystem Forum discovered leading agendas concerning the app ecosystem, including mobile app business trends, generative AI app business, global expansion of K-content through app platforms, and prospects for open-source and open API utilization.
Jang Dae-ik, dean of Gachon University's Startup College, and Jo Chang-hwan, a professor at Yonsei University's Department of Communication and Media, stated, "We were able to systematically understand the rapidly changing IT technology and app ecosystem, as well as reaffirm that the growth of developers, including app startups, is fundamental to the continuous development of the app ecosystem," and they added, "I hope that Google will play an important role in supporting promising developers sincerely through various programs like 'Channel' to contribute to the growth of the domestic app ecosystem."
Google Korea plans to further develop and operate the three forums next year and continues to listen to the opinions of domestic and foreign experts to contribute positively to the Korean digital ecosystem.
Kim Kyung-hoon, president of Google Korea, noted, "The valuable opinions shared by the Digital Responsibility Committee over the past year will be the cornerstone for responsible growth and development of the digital ecosystem," and added, "In the future, Google Korea will work with the committee to consider more roles and responsibilities, ensuring that Korea, with its outstanding talent and high technological capabilities, can leap forward as a forward base for the global digital ecosystem."