SEOUL, South Korea, July 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- LG AI Research and UNESCO officially launched the "AI Ethics MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) Project" on the afternoon of July 20 at the Korean National Commission for UNESCO in Myeong-dong, Seoul, unveiling a global educational curriculum accessible to anyone worldwide for free.
The launch event was attended by Dr. Khaled El-Enany, Director-General, UNESCO, Hyunik Hong, Secretary-General of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO; Mr. Kyung-hoon Bae, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister, Science and ICT, Republic of Korea; and Woohyung Lim, Co-head of LG AI Research.
At the event, "Principles alone do not build ethical AI, people do. Through this course, UNESCO is taking the next step in its leadership on AI ethics, translating the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence into practical learning that empowers people to apply ethical principles throughout the AI lifecycle. This is how we move from shared commitments to meaningful action," said Dr. Khaled El-Enany, Director-General, UNESCO.
Mr. Kyung-hoon Bae, Deputy Prime Minister, and Minister, Science and ICT, Republic of Korea, remarked, "AI offers revolutionary opportunities for humanity, but at the same time, it presents new ethical and societal challenges." Mr. Bae further emphasized, "To foster a safe and trustworthy AI ecosystem, it is crucial for the international community to establish shared principles and standards, and to practice them together," highlighting that South Korea will closely cooperate with UNESCO to actively contribute to the spread of AI ethics and digital inclusion.
- Launching the 'AI Ethics MOOC Project' to Build a Safe AI Ecosystem
LG AI Research and UNESCO have achieved their first major milestone with the "AI Ethics MOOC Project," coming two years after signing an agreement during the AI Seoul Summit in May 2024.
This project aims to strengthen AI ethics capabilities in both public and private sectors. It identifies best practices for ethical AI development and deployment, creating comprehensive educational programs tailored for AI experts, researchers, and policymakers worldwide.
This marks the first time a private AI research institution in South Korea has collaborated with a specialized UN agency to lead the entire process—from initial planning to content development—to build a global educational curriculum.
Based on the 'Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence'—a global AI standard unanimously adopted by 193 UNESCO member states in 2021—the program focuses on practical capability-building so that developers, researchers, and policymakers can apply these principles directly in the field.
To ensure global accessibility, LG AI Research and UNESCO have partnered with Coursera, the world's leading open online learning platform founded by world-renowned AI scholar Andrew Ng.
The curriculum consists of 10 modules led by leading scholars from world-class institutions at the forefront of AI ethics research. These include Carnegie Mellon University, the McCoy Family Center for Ethics in Society at Stanford University, the Oxford Internet Institute, the TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology, and the Alan Turing Institute. On-site experts from various continents also contributed, such as representatives from AFRIA (Francophone Agency for Artificial Intelligence) and the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) in Singapore.
Furthermore, an international advisory group composed of experts from 15 prestigious organizations supported the project, including Harvard University, New York University, the University of Toronto, the University of Notre Dame, the World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology (COMEST), United Nations University, UN-CHK Digital University, the Mozilla Foundation, Tecnológico de Monterrey, and the University of Pretoria.
Following the launch, a conference was held under the theme, "Ethics by Design: Industry & Innovation." The event brought together key contributors to the UNESCO AI Ethics Recommendations and project development, including Dr. Georgina Curto-Rex from United Nations University, Professor Shion Guha from the University of Toronto, and Maha Jouini, founder of CHIFAA, Representatives from the AI Safety Institute, Naver, and Kakao also attended.
Youchul Kim, Head of Strategy at LG AI Research, emphasized: "If regulation prevents yesterday's risks, education builds tomorrow's trust. Supporting global developers and policymakers to collaborate under a unified ethical standard is a crucial investment. It solidifies trust across the AI ecosystem and builds a foundation of mutual growth where customers can confidently utilize AI."
In this regard, "UNESCO has helped define standards for responsible AI usage, and today, we're honored to welcome UNESCO to the Coursera platform with the launch of Ethics of Artificial Intelligence," said Marni Baker Stein, Chief Content Officer at Coursera. "This free course, developed with LG AI Research, will help learners and institutions around the world make more informed decisions about how AI is designed, deployed, and governed. Together, we're expanding global access to high-quality education on one of the most important issues of our time."
- LG AI Research and UNESCO to Co-Launch Domestic AI Ethics Training This Fall
LG AI Research and UNESCO plan to expand the 'AI Ethics MOOC Project' into offline training programs that cultivate practical ethics capabilities through case-based learning and hands-on assignments.
As a starting point, LG AI Research and the Korean National Commission for UNESCO will run a pilot AI ethics training program for local AI developers and researchers in the second half of this year. Based on the pilot's outcomes, they plan to expand the curriculum to 5 to 10 regional hub universities across South Korea next year.
Hyunik Hong, Secretary-General of the Korean National Commission for UNESCO, said: "UNESCO's Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence sets out principles agreed by the international community, but their value can only be realized when they serve as practical guidance in technology development, research, industry and public policy. We hope the launch of this global MOOC will equip practitioners to make responsible decisions and that it will be a crucial step in translating international standards into concrete practice in the Republic of Korea."
As South Korea seeks ways to spread the benefits of AI across classes and borders under the vision of 'AI for All,' LG AI Research has actively participated in major international discussions—such as the Global Forum on the Ethics of AI, the AI Seoul Summit, the UN Forum on Business and Human Rights, and the Paris AI Action Summit—leading corporate responsibility for sustainable AI development.
In particular, this project serves as a concrete example of South Korea evolving from a consumer of global rules to a provider of global AI ethics education. It is evaluated as a major turning point showing how private-led international cooperation can contribute to strengthening global AI governance.
Woohyung Lim, Co-head of LG AI Research, stated: "AI ethics is a set of principles and practices ensuring that technology operates transparently and responsibly without discriminating against or endangering people. We have passed the phase of merely reaching global consensus; we must now transition to applying these ethics across the entire lifecycle of product development and service operations. We hope this global MOOC course provides a practical foundation for developers and researchers to build a trustworthy AI ecosystem, accelerating responsible innovation across the industry."
Meanwhile, Kwang Mo Koo, Chairman and CEO of LG Corp., emphasized challenging the present state for future value in his New Year's address, stating: "The accumulation of many moments of challenging new areas and creating unprecedented value has made the LG of today."
Grounded in Chairman Koo's management philosophy to fulfill corporate ethical responsibilities in AI technology, LG AI Research continues to develop world-changing AI technologies while establishing and implementing various activities to practice its AI Ethics Guidelines.
LG AI Research
Established in December 2020, LG AI Research serves as the AI think tank for the LG Group. Its mission is to enhance AI capabilities by addressing business challenges, conducting cutting-edge AI research, and establishing and implementing ethical principles for AI technology. Leveraging EXAONE (Expert AI for Everyone), a proprietary large-scale AI model developed since 2021, the center has been driving innovation across various industries.
Furthermore, by securing first place overall and successfully passing the technological independence evaluation in the 'National AI Foundation Model Project'—an initiative launched to resolve dependency on global models— LG AI Research leverages its sovereign AI expertise to advance global ethical standards.
-Official Website: https://www.lgresearch.ai/
SOURCE LG
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