Lee Jae-myung, the representative of the Democratic Party of Korea, met with Professor Yuval Noah Harari of Hebrew University, the author of 'Sapiens', to emphasize the need for public investment in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry.
On the 22nd, Representative Lee met with Professor Harari in the Sarangjae at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, and said, "(The AI industry) requires enormous resources to invest, and it's likely that only large corporations will enjoy the wealth. Therefore, isn't there a need for the institutional sector to invest and share a significant portion of the investment returns?"
The meeting was held in a one-on-one interview format for 100 minutes. Professor Harari visited Korea to promote his recently published book 'Nexus', leading to a conversation between the two for the first time in four years since 2021.
Representative Lee said, "Not long ago, I discussed whether it would be possible for the public to invest in AI-related corporations using national capital, such as the sovereign wealth fund, to secure a significant portion of equity, and whether the public could participate in the business itself. I received many criticisms and was called a communist for that."
Earlier this month, Representative Lee suggested in a YouTube broadcast that if a company like Nvidia were to emerge in Korea and have 30% of its equity held by the public, it would greatly reduce reliance on taxes.
On that day, Representative Lee said, "There is a high possibility that large corporations with technology development capabilities will enjoy tremendous wealth, and we cannot prevent this. Imposing taxes would meet strong resistance."
Professor Harari refrained from making specific remarks about economic issues. However, he used the child labor issue during the 19th-century Industrial Revolution as a substitute for his answer.
Professor Harari stated, "Child labor is not only unethical but also economically detrimental," and he emphasized that "sending children to school for education is more beneficial economically, which is why the government must intervene."
He added, "In fact, from an economic standpoint, it is right to send children to school for their education." He also mentioned that the government needs to build schools and establish an education system. Professor Harari emphasized, "We are still in a similar situation," and stated that "principally, the government must intervene."
Professor Harari discussed the necessity of welfare and re-education. He explained, "As AI becomes increasingly intelligent and replaces humans, we must continue to rehabilitate ourselves and enable ourselves to acquire new jobs."
He continued, "What the government can do is regulate algorithms," advising, "For instance, to prohibit counterfeit humans." This implies that freedom of expression should only protect humans and that it is necessary to address situations where AI incites anger.
At this point, Representative Lee remarked, "I thought President Yoon Suk-yeol, who declared martial law, was a counterfeit (fake) human."
Representative Lee diagnosed, "The only way to ensure that people are not made anxious and interstate competition does not heat up is to maximize the sharing of benefits from technological development among as many people as possible."