Artificial intelligence (AI) must be developed and deployed in ways that foster human growth to prevent a dystopian outcome, experts said. Not only nations but also companies, educational institutions and individuals must work in their respective capacities to avoid human subordination to AI, they argued.
Yoo Young-jin, a professor of management at the London School of Economics, said at the "AI and Human Values Forum" of "Seoul Forum 2026," held at the Shilla Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 28th, "A more serious threat than AI replacing and monitoring human jobs is technology that does not allow human growth." He added, "If we settle for a society where AI replaces work humans used to do and humans are merely compensated for it, the result will be the maximization of 'phantom GDP.'" Phantom GDP refers to an economic pattern in which AI drives economic growth but household incomes and the lives of ordinary citizens fail to improve.
Yoo proposed that governments, educational institutions and companies build AI deployment frameworks focused on enhancing human capabilities. "AI should be developed in a direction that enables humans to do things they could not do before," he said. "Nations should establish principles that allow AI sovereignty to be realized at the individual level, and companies need to assign challenging tasks even to junior employees."
Shin Sang-kyu, a professor at Ewha Womans University's Ewha Institute for the Humanities, who took the stage next, also called for "a shift in the AI utilization paradigm." Shin said, "If humans simply outsource thinking to AI and delegate decision-making, they will become lazy." He stressed, "It is time to seriously consider how to use this technology."
Shin particularly noted, "As working hours and paid labor are bound to decrease, people must now be able to find their sense of self in everyday life." He assessed, "Koreans tend to believe that 'a job makes my life meaningful' less strongly than people in other countries, so there is room for relatively smooth adaptation to such changes."
Officials from the government and industry also expressed agreement on the importance of human values. Lee Jin-soo, a director general at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "The government will also announce AI ethics principles," adding, "For now, we are prioritizing human involvement when applying the technology." Kim Kyung-hoon, AI Safety Lead at Kakao (035720.KS), said, "Social risks triggered by AI are issues that the government and businesses must discuss together by creating a public forum," adding, "Kakao will actively participate in the process of improving the system."
