Researchers Responsible for AI-Assisted R&D, Science Ministry Says in Final Research Ethics Guide

The Ministry of Science and ICT has finalized the National R&D AI Research Ethics Guide, which sets out research ethics standards for using artificial intelligence (AI) in national research and development.

The ministry said on the 21st that the guide was finalized after deliberation and approval by the Steering Committee of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology.

The guide sets out the basic principle that "AI's role in national R&D is limited to that of a tool, and responsibility and rights for the final output belong to the researcher who used AI."

Based on this principle, the guide includes seven recommendations for researchers: verifying facts, exercising independent judgment, ensuring transparency, managing the reliability of results, complying with policies and regulations, maintaining security, and protecting personal information.

For fact-checking, researchers are instructed to check AI-generated content for errors and omissions of key information, and to verify that cited sources exist and are authentic. The transparency recommendation requires researchers to disclose the model and version, as well as the purpose and scope of AI use, when AI is used throughout the research process.

The personal information protection section advises researchers not to enter data containing personal information into AI services.

The guide states that, when evaluating national R&D projects and reviewing papers, evaluators must not enter the materials under review into external AI systems and must conduct independent evaluations based on their expertise.

It also stipulates that those being evaluated must not attempt to evade legitimate review criteria or distort evaluations by using AI, including through so-called hidden prompts.

To support practical use, the guide also provides a researcher self-assessment checklist and a disclosure form for reporting AI use when submitting materials such as R&D project reports.

Hong Sun-jeong, director general of the ministry's Performance Evaluation Policy Bureau, said, "AI is a useful tool that can dramatically improve research efficiency, but researchers are always ultimately responsible for its use."

He said, "We hope this guide will help establish a culture of responsible AI use in research settings and provide an opportunity to safeguard the integrity of national R&D."

The guide is available on the Ministry of Science and ICT and Korea Institute of Science and Technology Evaluation and Planning websites. The ministry plans to distribute the guide and its explanatory materials to R&D institutions and revise them based on feedback from the field.