'Best friend and lover': AI will be K-pop's blessing, says Lee Soo-man

K-pop

Published: 30 May. 2024, 15:49

'Best friend and lover': AI will be K-pop's blessing, says Lee Soo-man

Lee Soo-man, founder of K-pop agency SM Entertainment, at the General Assembly of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (Cisac) on Thursday at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, western Seoul [NEWS1]

“I’m a believer in AI chatbots — I believe that AI chatbots will become humankind’s best friend and lover in the very near future.” These aren't the words of a tech company CEO or an AI developer, but the words of Lee Soo-man, a pioneer in K-pop and the founder of one of the industry’s biggest agencies, SM Entertainment.

Lee’s words were part of a keynote speech he gave at the General Assembly of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (Cisac), the biggest gathering of content creators and copyright organizations, which took place on Thursday at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, western Seoul.

It was Lee’s first public appearance in over a year, since he was ousted from his own company in February last year. He was accused by the then-CEO Lee Sung-su, who is also the nephew of Lee Soo-man, of “ruining” SM Entertainment by forcing his own personal ideals onto artists’ music.

All controversy aside, the SM founder has irrefutably contributed to the birth and progress of K-pop by introducing numerous new concepts into the market, especially through the mashing up of technology and culture into various forms of music, visuals and stories. The mashup is apparent in Lee’s own career, where he started out as a singer and then ended up with a master’s degree in computer engineering.

“The content industry has been facing what can only be seen as revolutionary change across all borders of music, film, dramas, publishing and more,” Lee said. “At the forefront of the transformation are the AI and chatbot technologies that are changing both how content is created and consumed. And I believe that the marriage of K-pop and AI will greatly enhance how fans communicate with artists.”

Virtual girl group MAVE: [METAVERSE ENTERTAINMENT]

Lee’s prophecy is already coming true in some sense, with more “virtual idols” debuting and flaunting improved computer graphics each day. Virtual girl group MAVE:’s agency, Metaverse Entertainment, even rolled out a test version of Chat SIU:, an AI chat program that allows fans to communicate with each of the MAVE: members on a one-on-one basis, earlier this year.

“Still, the exponential growth of such technology also rings an alarm bell to the content industry, especially when it comes to copyright,” Lee said.

“We are prone to issues such as copyright infringement, content piracy and plagiarism by AI and chatbots — whether it be intentional or not — which result in rendering our creators helpless while our economies also suffer. There could even come a day when voice phishing becomes ‘avatar phishing’ and scammers fool us with the faces of our loved ones, and we won’t be able to tell the difference from real humans.”

In the face of such threats, it is the duty of copyright associations, lawmakers and scholars to urge the government to prepare related regulations in advance, “because the law is always extremely and incredibly slow in catching up with the real world,” according to Lee.

Lee Soo-man, founder of K-pop agency SM Entertainment, gives a keynote speech at the General Assembly of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (Cisac) on Thursday at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, western Seoul. [YONHAP]

“Creation is the divine power of God, which is why humans naturally want to create more,” he said. “In doing so, AI will lead to more content being created at a faster rate, which makes creator protection a matter of the utmost urgency. I hope that we use the best of technology to come up with a united standard across the world so that content creators can be properly protected.”

It is the first time in 20 years that the event has been held in Korea, with the last taking place in 2004. It also came in tandem with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the Korea Music Copyright Association (Komca), which organized the event.

This year's event featured congratulatory performances, speeches and panel discussions from some of the biggest names in the arts and entertainment fields.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon kicked off Thursday’s event with an opening speech, which was followed by a video message from Cisac President Björn Ulvaeus, Chairman of the Cisac Board Marcelo Castello Branco and Chu Ga-yeol, president of Komca.

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon, center in white suit, sits down for a talk with local copyright organizations prior to the beginning of the General Assembly of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (Cisac) on Thursday at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, western Seoul. [MINISTRY OF CULTURE, SPORTS AND TOURISM]

“During the past 20 years since the last Cisac General Assembly took place in Korea, we have made monumental progress in the field of copyrights,” Yu said.

“We stand at a crucial time in history in this digital age. The easier it has become to access content, the easier it has become to illegally copy and distribute content. Copyrights travel across borders, making it more important than ever for global copyright associations to join their forces. It is high time that we prepare ourselves for the new environment, which includes the spread of online streaming services and the development of AI, and establish new copyright regulations.”

A panel discussion on the global spread of K-pop took place, which included actor Yoo Ji-tae, former Spanish Minister of Culture Ángeles González-Sinde Reig, Chair of APRA Jenny Morris, Vice President of the Sociedad de Autores y Compositores de Mexico (SACM) Arturo Márquez and Rep. Kim Jae-won of the Rebuilding Korea Party, also known as singer Riaa.

A traditional Korean dance performance kicked off the congratulatory stage in the evening, followed by performances from alternative pop band Leenalchi, singer ALi, dance crew 1Million and K-pop girl group Billlie.

Founded in 1926, Cisac is a nonprofit alliance of 225 copyright organizations and 5 million creators from 116 countries around the world that aims to protect the copyright of content in various genres, ranging from music and dramas to literature and art, by establishing a global standard on copyright regulations.

Five Korean copyright associations are members of Cisac: Komca, the Korean Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (Koscap), the Korea Literature, Academic works and Art Copyright Association (Kolaa), the Directors Guild of Korea (DGK) and the Society of Artist’s Copyright of Korea (SACK).

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