The law imposes transparency obligations and governance requirements on companies deploying generative AI and other artificial intelligence technologies, with administrative penalties including fines for non-compliance. Analysts say firms that demonstrate accountability under the new framework stand to gain a competitive edge in the long run.
Despite the government's efforts to ease the transition — including the early release of subordinate regulations — uncertainty on the ground remains unresolved. The AI Basic Act Support Desk, jointly operated by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea AI·Software Industry Association (KOSA), received 172 inquiries within just ten days of opening.
The surge in interest is visible in the data.
Big data analytics platform Quettai recorded about 16,175 mentions of the "AI Basic Act" keyword in January, a 233 percent jump from the same period a year earlier. Notably, related terms such as "difficult," "complicated," and "ambiguous" ranked among the top associated keywords, signaling widespread confusion over compliance requirements.
Industry practitioners argue that a one-size-fits-all approach falls short given the wide variance in how AI is deployed across sectors. The same legal provision can carry different implications depending on the industry, making generic guidance insufficient for frontline decision-making.
DeepBrain AI, a domestic generative AI firm, recently published a practical compliance guide tailored to the financial, education, and portal sectors — one example of how industry players are moving to fill the guidance gap left by broad regulatory language.
With enforcement now underway, businesses and regulators alike face pressure to move beyond interpretation and toward actionable standards before compliance gaps begin to widen.
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