Global Privacy Assembly discusses privacy norms for AI era

(GPA)

The Global Privacy Assembly (GPA) - with personal data protection authorities from around the world in attendance - opened on Tuesday in Seoul.

The event will take place until Friday under the theme “Artificial Intelligence in Our Daily Lives: Data and Privacy Issues.” A total of 148 organizations from 95 countries are in Seoul with around 1,000 participants representing places such as international organizations, companies, academia, and civic groups.

The GPA is the most authoritative international forum in the field of data protection.

In his opening remarks, Personal Information Protection Commission (PIPC) Chairperson Ko Hak-soo said that “as the pace of AI innovation accelerates, the success or failure will depend on how well we manage and minimize its side effects.”

A key agenda item at the 2025 GPA is how to protect personal data. In the first keynote speech, Signal Foundation President Meredith Whittaker pointed out that “the emergence of AI agents represents a shift toward granting extensive permissions to operating systems.”

Whittaker warned that “they are designed to operate without explicit authorization, even accessing sensitive information.”

There will be five keynote speeches and more than 20 panel discussions over the five-day GPA. The PIPC noted that it aims to use the Seoul assembly as an opportunity to shift the global privacy discourse, which has traditionally been centered on Europe and the United States, toward Asia.