Lawmaker pushes bill to ease AI disclosure rules for minor editing tools

Legislation is being pursued to streamline disclosure requirements for content produced using generative AI.

Rep. Kim Woo-young of the Democratic Party of Korea, who represents Seoul's Eunpyeong-gu, said Thursday he had introduced a bill to partially amend the Framework Act on Artificial Intelligence Advancement and Trustworthy AI Development.

Under current law, anyone providing generative AI or products and services that use it must disclose that the output was generated by generative AI. The law also requires that users be clearly notified when audio, images or video are difficult to distinguish from reality.

Critics have argued, however, that the existing rules could impose excessive burdens on creative, content and industrial sectors by extending disclosure obligations to minor AI-assisted editing tasks such as background generation, color correction and screen cleanup. Concerns have also been raised that requiring disclosure even when user-provided data or its meaning has not been substantially altered could chill the use of AI.

According to Kim, the proposed amendment would exempt providers from disclosure requirements when generative AI or AI-based products and services are used solely to assist with standard editing, or when the AI does not substantially alter user-provided data or its meaning. The bill would also replace the current law's reference to "artistic and creative expressions" with the term "cultural products" as defined under the Framework Act on the Promotion of Cultural Industries. Cultural products would be allowed to carry disclosure in the minimum necessary manner — one that does not impede their exhibition or enjoyment.

"Transparency about AI-generated content is essential, but applying blanket disclosure requirements even to simple corrections or editing assistance does not reflect the realities of creative work and industry," Kim said. "We must prevent the concealment of AI use, but we should not stifle legitimate creative work and service innovation that simply uses AI as a tool."