The artificial intelligence regulation law of South Korea has officially come into effect

South Korea has become the first country in the world to fully regulate artificial intelligence. Its extensive legal framework came into effect on Thursday (January 22nd), including specific provisions for deepfake technology.

AFP quoted South Korean President Lee Jae-myung as saying: "The 'Basic Law on Artificial Intelligence' has come into effect today."

South Korea is the birthplace of storage chip giants such as Samsung and SK Hynix. South Korea aims to become one of the world's top three AI powers alongside the United States and China.

The artificial intelligence regulation law in South Korea requires enterprises to notify users in advance when using generative artificial intelligence technology.

Furthermore, the law also stipulates that enterprises must clearly label content that is difficult to distinguish from reality, including deepfake technology.

The statement from the Ministry of Science and ICT of South Korea said that the law was passed in December 2024 and aims to "establish an AI innovation foundation based on security and trust".

The offenders will be subject to a maximum fine of 30 million Korean won.

Korean media reported that this is the world's first fully effective law regulating artificial intelligence. The Ministry of Science and Technology of South Korea stated that this is the second such law in the world.

The European Parliament stated that it had adopted "the world's first set of regulations on artificial intelligence" in June 2024. However, the implementation of these regulations will be carried out in phases and will come into full effect in 2027.