Minister of the Interior and Safety Kim Boo Kyum made visits to France and Israel to discuss the future of digital government with the global community for gearing up for the era of artificial intelligence (AI).

Minister Kim Boo Kyum met with France’s Secretary of State for Digital Affairs Mounir Mahjoubi on November 19 (local time) in France and discussed AI strategies for the public sector and ways to foster private-public partnership. Minister Kim also visited ANSYS, a global leading company in digital security, and looked into the company’s high technologies in the areas of digital security such as air transport, high-speed railway and self-driving vehicle.

On November 20-21, Minister Kim attended the 5th Digital (D9) Ministerial Summit which took place in Israel. Founded in 2014, led by Korea and the United Kingdom, D 9 is a network of digital leaders and pioneers, setting the key directions for digital policies around the world.

At the summit, the seven member states unanimously welcomed two new members, Portugal and Mexico, making D9 a group with equitable geographical representation and brining more diverse views to the table.

The nine member states discussed approaches to the use of AI by government, and will announce an ethics guideline for the responsible use of AI in government after reaching a consensus. In addition, ministers touched upon how to bolster cooperation between D9 and with non-member states as well as suggested future visions for the group. The member countries will flesh out D9 by launching the official website and securing staff members who will fully support the group.

During the summit, the Korean delegation had bilateral meetings with CIOs of Canada and Uruguay and discussed specific ways to reinforce cooperation in the field of e-government including sharing best practices of using AI, bolstering cooperation with the Latin American and Caribbean countries, and strengthening partnership on cyber security.

Minister Kim Boo Kyum commented that “It is high time for the whole world to prepare for the digital transformation.” “The Korean government will share strategies and best practices of using AI by government and thoroughly go over the ethics of AI with digital leaders to pioneer in building digital society,” he added.

The next summit will be held in Uruguay, next year.