National Tax Service Commissioner Lim Kwang-hyun, right, speaks with Seoul National University President Ryu Hong-lim at the latter's office in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of National Tax Service

The National Tax Service (NTS) signed an agreement Friday with Seoul National University’s (SNU) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute to integrate AI into the state tax system, a move aimed at accelerating public services while tightening data security.

The NTS and SNU said they will work together in three main areas: advising the NTS on how to introduce and expand AI in tax administration, conducting joint research on how to run AI systems safely and responsibly, and training NTS staff in hands-on AI development skills.

The NTS highlighted wanting to go beyond basic AI tools. It is developing personalized services — such as an AI system that can help individual taxpayers fill out returns or get tax advice based on their own financial data. Because this involves sensitive personal information, the agency said strong data security and privacy protections are essential. It plans to lean on SNU experts for guidance in these areas.

To build internal AI skills, the NTS currently runs a three-level training program — basic, intermediate and advanced — for its employees.

It now plans to add a new project-based course with SNU, where small teams of staff will use real internal data to build and test AI tools. One planned application is an "AI tax consultant" system, expected after 2027, that would give taxpayers personalized advice based on their tax records.

"This partnership with SNU's AI Institute will be a powerful engine for successfully transforming our tax administration through AI," NTS Commissioner Lim Kwang-hyun said.

He added that the agency would weigh not only technical performance but also "fairness, safety, accountability and transparency" in building AI tools the public can trust.

SNU President Ryu Hong-lim said the university would bring its accumulated AI research capabilities to help the NTS "dramatically improve the benefits for all citizens."

The director of SNU's AI Institute said the collaboration would help build a safe and trustworthy AI operating framework for the agency.

Source: Korea Times News