Korean AI Pioneer Yoon Song-yi and Psychiatrist Oh Eun-young Discuss the Impact of AI on Daily Life

Renowned psychiatrist Oh Eun-young has revealed that she uses the conversational AI service ChatGPT on a paid basis.

On the October 13th episode of tvN STORY's 'Billion Dollar Breakfast,' Yoon Song-yi, a prominent figure known for being the youngest Korean to earn a Ph.D. in the U.S. and becoming a corporate executive at 28, made an appearance.

Yoon, an alumna of KAIST and MIT, was often referred to as a 'genius girl.' She graduated high school early due to her dislike for repetitive learning and was the real-life inspiration for the genius engineer character played by actress Lee Na-young in the drama 'KAIST.' Currently, she is a venture capitalist investing in AI startups in Silicon Valley, the heart of the global IT industry.

During the broadcast, Yoon shared her daily routine, which includes waking up at 5 AM, preparing meals, and exercising, all meticulously managed. She seamlessly handled external meetings and business trips, prompting Oh Eun-young to admire her 'million-bloom passion.'

As the first Korean director at one of the world's top 100 companies, Yoon revealed her fascination with AI technology during her time at KAIST. When asked by Lee Yi-kyung if she uses ChatGPT, Yoon, along with Oh Eun-young and Lee Jang-won, confirmed they use the paid version. Oh Eun-young explained, 'The quality of ChatGPT's responses is significantly better with the paid version. It provides more accurate information and answers.' She also noted, 'While we need to understand and utilize AI in our lives, there is an underlying fear among those unfamiliar with it.'

Discussing the risks and ethics of AI advancements, Lee Yi-kyung shared his experience with deepfake technology, stating, 'I once filmed for a deepfake project where hundreds of cameras captured my expressions for future use.' He added, 'I don't see a reason to reject it, despite fears of roles becoming obsolete.'

Lee Yi-kyung also mentioned the rise of virtual idols, noting, 'Virtual idols have been topping charts consecutively, with last year's sales exceeding 40 billion won. They can even compose music.' He asked Lee Jang-won if this poses a threat to musicians, to which Lee replied, 'There might be a sense of crisis, but the future is uncertain.'

When asked about her thoughts, Oh Eun-young, a specialist in mental health, shared, 'I've been trying to create my AI. While there's a need to provide help, one-on-one interactions are limited. If AI could be developed to disseminate proven medical knowledge on human development to every household, it could be beneficial. In such a world, many could receive help, and I could pursue other endeavors.' Imagining a world with 'one Oh Eun-young per household,' Lee Yi-kyung joked, 'If AI Oh Eun-young were in every home, peace might prevail,' eliciting laughter.

Reported by Kim Ji-won, TenAsia bella@tenasia.co.kr