Lee Soo Man, the founder and former chief producer of SM Entertainment, has made a rare public appearance at an important event. During his appearance, Lee delivered a keynote speech on the growing influence of AI technology in the K-Pop industry.

Lee Soo Man Delivers Keynote Speech at CISAC 2024

The SM Entertainment founder attended the annual general meeting of the International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC) as a keynote speaker. The event took place on May 30 KST at the Conrad Hotel in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo, Seoul. In his speech, Lee Soo Man shared his insights on the intersection of the AI industry and K-Pop, highlighting the potential for innovation and growth within the music industry.

During his speech, Lee noted the significance of AI technology in the entertainment industry.

“AI and chatbot technology are rapidly changing the ways we communicate today,” he said. “Human-like or even more attractive models are gaining human fans. They also started communicating with fans in real-time. I think AI chatbots could become humans’ best friends and even lovers.”

He then spoke about the integration of AI and K-Pop.

“This technology will greatly contribute to improved communication with fans worldwide. The grafting of K-pop and AI is a fusion of culture and technology that promises broad interactions with fans,” Lee said. “AI already possesses amazing capabilities in text generation and image creation. But it is also true that with the advancement of AI, issues such as copyright infringement, illegal copying and distribution, plagiarism, and the exposure of unprotected creative works leading to economic losses for creators could arise.”

Lee also addressed the possibility of AI-related issues.

“Clear copyright laws need to be enacted, and the development and global standardization of copyright infringement prevention technologies are necessary. I believe that AI chatbots, avatars, and robots should be issued a kind of ID card, essentially making them part of a real-name system,” he stated.

Lee Soo Man left SM Entertainment in March last year due to internal management disputes.