International scholars withdraw boycott declaration against KAIST

Posted on : 2018-04-10 17:45 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
The university alleviated fears that AI and robotics research was being used in weapons development
Toby Walsh of Australia’s University of New South Wales
Toby Walsh of Australia’s University of New South Wales

Fifty-seven artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics researchers from around the world withdrew a boycott declaration against the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) after previously announcing their plans to cut ties with the university in protest of purported AI weapons research with a private company.

“At 5 o’clock this afternoon, Professor Toby Walsh of Australia’s University of New South Wales, who issued an Apr. 4 statement announcing a boycott of all academic cooperation with KAIST, sent an email announcing that the KAIST boycott statement was being withdrawn,” KAIST said on Apr. 9.

KAIST quoted Walsh as saying in the letter that the decision to withdraw the boycott was made in discussions with the other 56 scholars who signed the initial statement, after they concluded that the university’s explanation had been satisfactory. Walsh was also quoted as saying that scholars in the field of AI would resume interaction and cooperative projects with KAIST researchers.

“Dr. Walsh said he was pleased to be able to resume cooperating with KAIST,” a university official said.

The overseas scholars initially announced their boycott in protest after the Feb. 20 opening ceremony for the Research Center for the Convergence of National Defense and Artificial Intelligence, which the university co-founded with Hanwha Systems.

KAIST immediately issued a statement that it had no plans to develop weapons of mass destruction or attack weapons in its AI-related research and would “not conduct any research activities counter to human dignity including autonomous weapons lacking meaningful human control.” The university also sent explanatory letters from president Shin Sung-chul to the professors in question.

By Lee Keun-young, senior staff writer

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