As artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to impact all areas of life, 200 members of the public deliberation group are gathering to discuss the future of society in the AI era.
The Presidential Committee on Basic Society announced on September 19 that it will hold a two-day forum titled 'Public Deliberation on Basic Society in the Context of AI Transformation' at the Seoul National University Siheung Campus Convention Center until September 20.
The 200 participants in the public deliberation group were selected through stratified random sampling, considering gender, age, and regional population ratios among citizens aged 15 and older. Half of the group consists of young people aged 15 to 34, who will be long-term stakeholders in the outcomes of the deliberation.
This public deliberation will follow an 'agenda-setting' approach, focusing on forming a vision for basic society and policy agendas through discussion and deliberation, rather than selecting specific policy alternatives. The committee aims to explore the blueprint and policy direction for basic society through this representative method of deliberative democracy.
The deliberation group completed preliminary learning using materials provided by the committee from September 9 to 18. On the first day, they will hear expert presentations on topics such as 'AI Transformation' and 'The Impact of Transformation on Basic Society,' discussing how life may change during this transformative period and what citizens envision for basic society.
On the second day, discussions will become more specific, covering topics such as job creation, income security, basic services, funding, and reinvestment, followed by a Q&A session. They will then discuss what actions society needs to take to realize the 'future vision of basic society' discussed on the first day.
To connect the opinions expressed during this deliberation to subsequent policy discussions, the committee plans to form a 'Policy Agenda Planning Group' consisting of 40 members, including 20 experts and 20 representatives from the public deliberation group, starting in October.
The Policy Agenda Planning Group will aim to refine the opinions presented during the forum into policy agendas and strategic tasks, with plans to submit a policy proposal to the committee by November.
In a congratulatory message read by Jeong Seong-hwan, Chief of the Integrated Listening Office at the Blue House, President Lee Jae-myung stated, 'We are facing a civilizational transition where AI and robots are rapidly changing all areas. I hope this becomes a milestone for the new path of AI basic society that no one has traveled before.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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