Kakao forms panel to monitor and advise on tech ethics

Kakao established an internal panel of tech officers to assess the ethics of its technologies and their social impact, the company said Monday.

The "Tech for good committee" will check the ethical and social aspects of Kakao company technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) programs and automated algorithms.

The committee will review company guidelines and pass along any changes that need to be made at each company.

The committee will be led by Lee Chae-yeong, the head of the technology department at Kakao, and include tech and ethics officers from subsidiaries, including Kakao Pay, Kakao Entertainment, Kakao Brain and Kakao Mobility.

It will be placed under the Corporate Alignment Center, which oversees the operations of subsidiaries.

Technology ethics units will be set up within each Kakao company. A Human Rights and Tech Ethics team will conduct studies on protecting human rights and maintaining technological ethics guidelines globally.

“The committee will endeavor to lead in-depth discussions that will direct Kakao toward becoming a leading IT company that is responsible and contributes to the sustainability of our society,” said Hong Eun-taek, co-CEO of Kakao, in a press release.

BY YOON SO-YEON [yoon.soyeon@joongang.co.kr]