KISDI Presented “Challenges of the AI Great Transformation” at the Joint Conference of Economics Associations (detail)

※ URL (Korean): https://www.kisdi.re.kr/bbs/view.do?bbsSn=114868&key=m2101113056011&pageIndex=1&sc=&sw=&selectedYear=2026

KISDI Presented “Challenges of the AI Great Transformation” at the Joint Conference of Economics Associations

– First Plenary Session and Special Session discussed issues of technological sovereignty, jobs, and productivity –

First Plenary Session: “A New Year for the Korean Economy”

▲ Challenges toward the AI Great Transformation (Sangkyu Rhee, President of KISDI)
KISDI Special Session: “Changing Economic Order in the AI Era and the Role of Government”
▲ AI Technological Sovereignty and Measures to Enhance National Competitiveness (Kyung Sun Lee, KISDI)
▲ AI and Jobs: The Need for Labor-Friendly Responses (Ahram MOON, KISDI)
▲ Generative AI, Division of Labor, and Productivity (Daehong Min, KISDI)

The Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI, President Sangkyu Rhee) participated in the “2026 Joint Conference of Economics Associations,” held on February 5 at Chung-Ang University’s Seoul campus. Through a presentation in the first plenary session and a special session, the institute addressed structural economic changes and policy issues arising from the spread of artificial intelligence (AI).

At the first plenary session, President Sangkyu Rhee presented on “Challenges toward the AI Great Transformation.” He assessed that the diffusion of AI requires structural adjustments in Korea’s growth model and across industrial and labor systems. He noted that although AI and digital transformation have new growth potential, accumulated imbalances across industries, labor market disparities, and regional gaps could constrain links to macroeconomic growth. He also emphasized that institutional redesign is needed so that the benefits of technological progress are broadly shared across society, beyond the diffusion of technology itself, in order to translate productivity gains into sustainable growth.

KISDI organized a special session titled “Changing Economic Order in the AI Era and the Role of Government,” which examined from multiple perspectives how advances in AI affect the economic order, division of labor, and the labor market.

Kyung Sun Lee presented on “AI Technological Sovereignty and Measures to Enhance National Competitiveness.” The presentation shared findings on Korea’s AI technological self-reliance and competitiveness, as well as major countries’ AI ecosystems and policy responses, and outlined policy priorities and implications suited to Korea’s AI ecosystem. Lee noted that major economies are pursuing AI technological sovereignty strategies aligned with their industrial and technological conditions. He emphasized that AI technological sovereignty does not imply full technological self-reliance across all layers of the technology stack, but rather a combination of strategic responses, including supply chain considerations. Based on this perspective, he proposed response strategies for each AI technology stack by assessing supply chain risks and future competitiveness.

Ahram MOON presented on “AI and Jobs: The Need for Labor-Friendly Responses.” The presentation analyzed how, as AI enters an “agent stage” in which it autonomously performs tasks, productivity gains expand across occupations using AI, while new hiring among young people declines sharply and the career ladder weakens. MOON stressed the urgency of shifting policy toward “labor-friendly AI,” which complements human work and supports opportunities for human capital accumulation among future generations, rather than focusing solely on cost-reduction automation.

Daehong Min presented on “Generative AI, Division of Labor, and Productivity.” The presentation examined how the adoption of generative AI changes existing division-of-labor structures and work processes, and the implications for productivity. Moving beyond traditional economic perspectives that emphasize the positive effects of division of labor, Min focused on inefficiencies in sequential tasks, including information interpretation costs and losses in information transmission. Based on an online experiment conducted with adults aged 19 and older, the study finds that the use of generative AI in sequential tasks can improve productivity by reducing inefficiencies associated with division of labor.

Through its participation in the conference, KISDI shared research findings on economic and social changes driven by the diffusion of AI and presented policy issues through engagement with government, society, and academia as a national policy research institute.

KISDI Media Room

KISDI Presented “Challenges of the AI Great Transformation” at the Joint Conference of Economics Associations