IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/cog/meanco/v13y2025a9523.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Generative AI Went From Innovation to Risk: Discussions in the Korean Public Sphere

Author

Listed:
  • Sunghwan Kim

    (Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea)

  • Jaemin Jung

    (Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Republic of Korea)

Abstract

Technological progress breeds both innovation and potential risks, a duality exemplified by the recent debate over generative artificial intelligence (GAI). This study examines how GAI has become a perceived risk in the Korean public sphere. To explore this, we analyzed news articles ( N = 56,468) and public comments ( N = 68,393) from early 2023 to mid-2024, a period marked by heightened interest in GAI. Our analysis focused on articles mentioning “generative artificial intelligence.” Using the social amplification of risk framework (Kasperson et al., 1988), we investigated how risks associated with GAI are amplified or attenuated. To identify key topics, we employed the bidirectional encoder representations from transformers model on news content and public comments, revealing distinct media and public agendas. The findings show a clear divergence in risk perception between news media and public discourse. While the media’s amplification of risk was evident, its influence remained largely confined to specific amplification stations. Moreover, the focus of public discussion is expected to shift from AI ethics and regulatory issues to the broader consequences of industrial change.

Suggested Citation

  • Sunghwan Kim & Jaemin Jung, 2025. "How Generative AI Went From Innovation to Risk: Discussions in the Korean Public Sphere," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 13.
    • Handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v13:y:2025:a:9523
    DOI: 10.17645/mac.9523
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cogitatiopress.com/mediaandcommunication/article/view/9523
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.17645/mac.9523?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:cog:meanco:v13:y:2025:a:9523. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: António Vieira or IT Department (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.cogitatiopress.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.