South Korea's Draft AI Action Plan: What Creatives Need to Know Before Jan 4
South Korea has released a draft AI Action Plan with a bold goal: join the top three AI powers. The catch for creatives is clear-how your work gets used to train AI, and how you get paid, is on the table.
Public feedback is open until January 4. If you make music, art, photos, video, design, or write for a living, this is your moment to speak up and protect your catalog.
The big issue: "Use first, pay later" for AI training
The draft proposes revising the Copyright Act so AI companies can train on works without prior permission, then compensate afterward. It also introduces an opt-out approach for training bans and calls for clearer training transparency and fair compensation rules.
Creative groups are pushing back. The concern is simple: permission should come first, not after the fact. There's also friction among ministries-MCST (copyright), MSIT (industry), and PIPC (privacy)-that could stall or water down safeguards if not resolved.
- What to ask for in feedback: opt-in by default, clear dataset disclosures, practical opt-out labels that work in the wild, minimum compensation standards, and protection for small creators.
- If opt-out remains, push for simple, uniform signals recognized by major AI firms-and penalties for ignoring them.
For context on how other regions handle training exceptions, see WIPO's overview of text and data mining and copyright here.
Education shift: open textbooks, AI tools, and the AIDT hangover
The plan also pushes AI digital textbooks and a move to an open textbook system. The goal is faster updates than the standard 7-year curriculum cycle and more autonomy for schools.
But the recent AI Digital Textbook (AIDT) collapse still stings. Creatives building educational content don't want to invest in platforms that get redefined midstream.
- Build modular content that can plug into multiple systems; don't bet everything on a single government platform.
- Align to open standards (e.g., SCORM/xAPI) and prepare for content verification models planned from 2027.
- For student data, follow strict privacy practices in line with PIPC guidance-especially for minors.
- If you publish or license education assets, keep contracts flexible so you can adjust as policy shifts.
For a broader reference on open education approaches around the world, UNESCO's page on Open Educational Resources is useful here.
Coordination will decide who wins
Implementation depends on real coordination across ministries. Without it, the plan risks becoming a press release with no teeth.
Im Moon-young, Vice Chair of the National AI Strategy Committee, spoke at the announcement-signaling that the committee wants to act as a true coordinator. The result creatives need: less uncertainty, clearer rules, and predictable execution.
Action checklist for creatives before Jan 4
- Submit feedback: ask for opt-in consent for training, transparent dataset logs, a simple opt-out standard, and fair base rates for training and model outputs tied to your works.
- Label and block: update robots.txt to block major AI crawlers (e.g., GPTBot, ClaudeBot, Google-Extended); add visible "No AI training" notices on portfolio sites.
- Provenance: add C2PA/provenance data or watermarks where possible; keep original files and timestamps for claims.
- Catalog your work: maintain an updated registry (titles, dates, links, licenses) to support compensation or takedown requests.
- Contracts: add explicit AI training clauses in client and platform agreements-permission, scope, and compensation.
- Education creators: keep content modular; plan for multiple distribution channels and quick updates without rework.
Level up your AI skills without betting the farm
If you're building a sustainable workflow around AI-writing, visuals, or audio-use curated, practical courses that save time and reduce risk. Explore options by creative job role here or browse tools for copywriting and content here.
The consultation window closes January 4. Add your voice, protect your catalog, and push for a system that treats creators as partners-not an afterthought.
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