Citizens to shape South Korea's 'basic society' vision for the AI age

The Presidential Basic Society Committee held its first public deliberation expert panel at Sangyeonjae Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, on Friday to discuss plans for a public deliberation process aimed at preparing for the social changes the AI transition will bring.

The committee plans to engage citizens in a structured deliberation process to collectively examine the social shifts AI will bring, then use those discussions as the basis for setting the policy direction of the basic society initiative.

To that end, the expert panel brings together specialists across fields including basic social policy, AI, employment, fiscal affairs and public deliberation. The panel will advise throughout the process, reviewing the appropriateness of agenda items, the fairness of deliberation procedures, and the objectivity and balance of materials to ensure a public discourse that citizens can trust.

The deliberation is not designed as a "choice-based" format that asks participants to pick sides or express preferences on existing policy options. Instead, it takes an "agenda-forming" approach in which citizens themselves shape a future vision and policy agenda through informed discussion and deliberation across a broad range of age groups.

The goal is to incorporate diverse perspectives on the social changes AI will bring into the basic society policy direction and to develop a concrete implementation plan.

The committee plans to formally launch the public deliberation process with this expert panel as the starting point, then roll out a series of citizen-participation deliberation forums — including a national deliberation corps and a policy agenda planning group — through October, with the aim of finalizing a "basic society future vision" and a "policy agenda proposal" by November.

Kang Nam-hoon, vice chairman of the Basic Society Committee, said AI is "the core growth engine that will lead the future of South Korea, as well as a tool that will fundamentally transform employment, education, welfare and communities," adding that "the process of citizens and the government together designing the future and building social consensus is more important than anything else." He said the public deliberation "will serve as a meaningful starting point for citizens to directly discuss the opportunities and challenges of the AI era and forge a new social consensus."