Kim Myung-joo, head of the AI Safety Institute, and Lee Jae-hyung, head of the Korea Internet & Security Agency’s AI security response team, speak Tuesday at the 2026 AI Safety Compass Conference at Dreamplus Main Hall in Seoul. Photo by Asia Today
May 26 (Asia Today) -- As artificial intelligence evolves into autonomous agents capable of making decisions and taking action, experts in South Korea said Tuesday that the next phase of AI competition will depend less on performance and more on safety, control and trust.
The International Association for AI and Ethics hosted the 2026 AI Safety Compass Conference at Dreamplus Main Hall in Gangnam, Seoul, under the theme of AI agent security and corporate strategies for building trust.
Jeon Chang-bae, chairman of the association, said in opening remarks that humans and animals had long been the only beings with autonomy, but AI is now reaching a stage where it can act autonomously.
"As AI autonomy increases, the issues of control, safety and trust will become even more important," Jeon said.
