South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met Monday with World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and called for stronger international cooperation to prevent artificial intelligence from widening gaps within and between countries, the presidential office said.
Banga is in Seoul for a Global AI and Digital Summit on Tuesday, co-organized by the World Bank Group and South Korea’s finance and science ministries. The two men met at the presidential office in the morning.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing that Lee told Banga that governments should consider the downsides of AI as well as its benefits. He said Lee called for tighter international cooperation to narrow AI-driven disparities.
Lee said reducing inequality is the top challenge for governments and that growth can be sustained only if its gains are widely shared, according to Kang. He urged the World Bank Group and other international financial institutions to play an active role in easing inequality and promoting inclusive growth.
Banga said South Korea’s push for what it calls “AI for all” and a “global AI basic society” was “very meaningful and important,” Kang said. Banga also expressed hope for continued cooperation with the South Korean government and companies on AI and energy, she said.
Banga added that countries should expand jobs for young people to help address inequality between generations, and that AI could help create jobs in areas including infrastructure, farming, health care, tourism and manufacturing, Kang said.
Lee also asked Banga to take an interest in getting more qualified South Koreans into jobs at the World Bank Group, according to the briefing.
In a post on X, Lee said the two discussed cooperation in AI, energy and development finance. He wrote that many developing countries have yet to reach AI’s opportunities and that the two sides agreed to work together so that technology gaps do not harden into growth gaps.
Lee also noted that South Korea achieved rapid growth with World Bank support in the past and said the country, which has gone from aid recipient to donor, would keep contributing to the international community.
The World Bank Group provides financing and technical support to developing countries.
