The REAIM Summit 2024, co-organized by the Republic of Korea Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and Ministry of National Defense (MND), ended in a success after a two-day run from September 9 to 10, 2024.

The ministerial roundtable on Tuesday, September 10, which Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul chaired and Minister of National Defense Kim Yong Hyun delivered a keynote speech at, brought together government representatives from over 90 states. The representatives discussed and shared their national views on (1) general approaches and priorities, (2) concerns and challenges, and (3) prospects for international cooperation.

The REAIM Plenary, consisting of three keynote panel discussions and 47 corresponding breakout sessions, was held on September 9 and 10, In the first plenary session on “understanding the implications of AI on international peace and security,” participants assessed the potential impact of AI on the international security environment — particularly on the conflict dynamics and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) — and the benefits and risks associated with the military application of AI. The second plenary session covered the agenda of “implementing responsible applications of AI in the military domain”: Participants identified key principles and measures necessary for the responsible application of AI in the military domain and explored ways to translate general principles into concrete actions. The third plenary session addressed the agenda of “envisioning the future governance of AI in the military domain”: Participants explored key considerations in the way forward for AI governance and measures to enhance international cooperation on the responsible use of AI in the military domain.

In addition, two rounds of REAIM Talks were held in the form of special sessions. The first session of REAIM Talks, featuring experts from relevant industries and academia, focused on the essential aspects of AI that policymakers should understand. In the second special session, technical experts explored engineering approaches to implementing policies for responsible application of AI.

Moreover, an AI exhibition and demonstrations, organized by Korean companies, were held at the Lotte Hotel Seoul lobby throughout the two-day Summit. Visitors were able to have firsthand experiences of how AI can be applied in the real-world military domain. The participating Korean companies took the opportunity to deepen their understanding of responsible development, deployment and use of AI in the military domain and to promote their products and technologies to visitors from around the world.

At the closing session that followed the ministerial roundtable, “Blueprint for Action” was officially endorsed as the outcome document of the REAIM Summit 2024. This declarative document, supported by 61 states, lays out a roadmap for establishing norms of AI in the military domain: It suggests principles and framework for the future governance, emphasizing that being responsible entails complying with international law,  holding humans responsible and accountable, ensuring reliability and trustworthy of AI, maintaining an appropriate human involvement and improving AI explainability.

ROK Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Tae-yul appreciated the Blueprint for Action as a collective achievement, reflecting the collaboration and insight of the international community on AI in the military domain. He further emphasized the importance of advancing efforts to translate the principles suggested in the document into concrete actions and developing measures for their implementation.

The Korean government, as a global pivotal state, remains committed to continuing its leadership on setting norms and governance for AI. Building on the global AI leadership established through the REAIM Summit 2024 as well as the AI Seoul Summit and the AI Global Forum held in May this year, Korea is determined to further advance these efforts and lead the international community’s discourse on AI.