South Korea to require advertisers to label AI-generated advertisements | USAEMALL.com

AI FUELS SURGE IN FALSE ADS

Officials say it’s becoming increasingly difficult to monitor and detect the growing number of false ads fueled by AI. South Korea’s Food and Drug Safety Ministry identified more than 96,700 illegal online ads of food and pharmaceutical products in 2024 and 68,950 through September this year, up from around 59,000 in 2023.

The problem is also spreading into areas such as private education, cosmetics and illegal gambling services, leaving the Korea Consumer Agency and other watchdogs struggling to keep pace, the Government Policy Coordination Office said.

Beyond deceptive ads and misinformation, South Korea is also grappling with sexual abuse enabled by AI and other digital technologies. A Seoul court last month sentenced a 33-year-old man to life in prison for running an online blackmail ring that sexually exploited or abused more than 200 victims, including many minors who were threatened with deepfakes and other manipulated sexual images and videos.

Officials plan to raise fines and also introduce punitive penalties next year to discourage the creation of false AI-generated ads, saying those who knowingly distribute false or fabricated information online or through other telecommunications networks could be held liable for damages up to five times the losses incurred.

Officials will also strengthen monitoring and faster takedown procedures, including enabling reviews within 24 hours and introducing an emergency process to block harmful ads even before deliberation is complete. They also plan to bolster the monitoring capabilities of the Food and Drug Safety Ministry and the Korea Consumer Agency – using AI, of course.

DESPITE RISKS, SOUTH KOREA’S LOVE FOR AI GROWS

Prime Minister Kim, Seoul’s No 2 official behind President Lee Jae Myung, said during the policy meeting that it’s crucial to “minimise the side effects of new technologies” as the country embraces the “AI era”.

The plans to label AI-generated ads were announced as Lee, in a separate meeting with business leaders, reiterated his government’s ambitions for AI, pledging national efforts to strengthen South Korea’s capabilities in advanced computer chips that power the global AI race.

Government plans include more research and development spending on AI-specific chips and other advanced semiconductor products as well as expanding the country’s chip manufacturing hubs beyond metropolitan areas near the capital city of Seoul to the southern regions. South Korean chipmakers, including Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, combined for more than 65% of the global memory chip market last year.

The science and telecommunications ministry also said Wednesday it will require the country’s wireless carriers to transition to 5G standalone networks, which are seen as optimal for advanced AI applications because of their higher bandwidth and lower latency, as a condition for renewing their 3G and LTE licenses.