2025 International Meeting of the Korean Social Science Study Council
27 May 2025
Keynote Speech
Distinguished colleagues, well-regarded participants,
It is an advantage to join you essentially for this important gathering of the Korean Social Science Research Study Council, and I am honoured to add to your prompt representations on the future of governance in an age defined by AI change.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping not only our industries, however our societies and public establishments. It is reconfiguring just how public choices are made, how solutions are delivered, and how citizens engage with their federal governments. This is a turning point for democracies. We are witnessing a substantial shift: from reactive administrations to awaiting administration; from top-down structures to dynamic, data-informed ecosystems.
AI allows federal governments to supply solutions a lot more effectively through automation, anticipating analytics, and personalised interaction. In locations like health care, public transport, and social welfare, public institutions are currently utilizing AI-enabled tools to expect demands, minimize expenses, and improve results. Right here in Japan, where our UNU head office are based, artificial intelligence is currently being made use of to analyse countless federal government jobs, boosting functional effectiveness and solution delivery. [1]
This is greater than simply a technological shift. It has profound political and ethical ramifications, raising urgent concerns concerning equity, openness, and liability. While AI holds tremendous pledge, we should not lose sight of the threats. Algorithmic predisposition can strengthen discrimination. Surveillance innovations may endanger constitutionals rights. And a lack of oversight can cause the erosion of public trust fund. As we digitise the state, we must not digitise injustice.
In feedback, the United Nations has actually increased initiatives to construct an international governance design for AI. The High-Level Advisory Body on AI, established by the Secretary-General, is working to address the global governance shortage and advertise concepts that centre civils rights, inclusivity, and sustainability. The Global Digital Compact, recommended with the Deal for the Future, lays the structure for a comprehensive electronic order– one that shows shared values and worldwide collaboration.
At the United Nations University, we support this improvement with extensive, policy-relevant research study. With 13 institutes in 12 countries, UNU is analyzing just how AI can advance lasting advancement while guaranteeing no person is left behind. From electronic inclusion and catastrophe durability to honest AI deployment in ecological administration and public health and wellness, our job looks for to make certain that AI offers the international good.
Nonetheless, the administration of artificial intelligence can not hinge on the shoulders of global organisations alone. Building ethical and comprehensive AI systems requires much deeper cooperation throughout all markets, bringing together academia, federal governments, the private sector, and civil society. It is just through interdisciplinary collaboration, global collaborations, and sustained discussion that we can create governance structures that are not only reliable, yet legit and future-proof.
Conferences like this one play a vital role in that endeavour, assisting us to develop bridges across boundaries and foster the count on and cooperation that honest AI administration needs. In words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “AI is not standing still– neither can we. Allow us move for an AI that is formed by all of humanity, for every one of humanity.”
Allow us remember: technology shapes power, yet governance forms justice. Our job is not simply to govern AI, yet to reimagine administration itself. In doing so, we can develop public institutions that are a lot more active, comprehensive, and resilient. I hope that this meeting will certainly promote meaningful dialogue and brand-new partnerships because endeavour.
Thank you.
[1] https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Artificial-intelligence/Japan-turns-to-AI-for-help-in-analyzing- 5 – 000 -government-projects