South Korea Plans to Give Citizens a Cut of AI Profits as 'People's Dividend'
South Korea is considering a groundbreaking plan to directly share the financial gains from artificial intelligence with its citizens, proposing a "people’s dividend" funded by profits generated by the AI industry [146956]. Under the proposal, a portion of revenue from AI companies would be collected and distributed to the population, as officials argue that the economic benefits of AI should not go only to corporations and tech elites as automation replaces human jobs [146956]. No firm decision has been made, but the discussion signals a new approach to managing the social impact of rapid technological change [146956]. If implemented, South Korea would become one of the first nations to guarantee citizens a direct financial stake in AI growth [146956].
This move comes as South Korea and the United Arab Emirates agreed to strengthen their partnership in artificial intelligence after a forum in Seoul that brought together government officials and industry representatives from both countries, focusing on expanding cooperation in AI development and application [147826].
Meanwhile, ByteDance’s cloud unit, Volcano Engine, is betting the future of AI depends on making it cheaper and faster. The company recently released ArkClaw, a cloud-based tool built on the open-source AI model OpenClaw [147712]. Lower token costs mean companies can run more AI tasks for less money, and ByteDance aims to profit from this trend by selling efficient AI services through ArkClaw as demand for agent tools—AI that performs tasks automatically—continues to rise [147712].
On the legal front, a new wave of wrongful death lawsuits against OpenAI is attempting to apply consumer product safety laws to AI chatbots, marking a significant legal shift [147023]. The cases argue that the company failed to warn users about potential risks, treating the technology more like a defective product than a neutral tool [147023]. If successful, this strategy could force AI developers to meet stricter safety standards normally reserved for cars, appliances, and other physical goods [147023].
Additionally, Genesis AI has unveiled GENE-26.5, a robotic brain designed for general-purpose machines that allows robots to handle objects, move, and complete actions with precision matching human dexterity [142253]. The system processes visual and sensory data in real time, letting it adapt to changing environments without pre-programming every movement, aiming to make robots useful for wider real-world jobs such as assembly, packaging, or assistance in homes and factories [142253].
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