Regulatory exemptions now allow the development of medical artificial intelligence (AI) using synthetic data derived from medical images and videos, paving the way for personalized healthcare services.
South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said on Tuesday that it granted 26 regulatory exemptions during its first Industrial Convergence Regulatory Exemption Review Committee meeting.
The committee reviewed exemptions covering AI synthetic data applications, including DAO Solutions’ personalized dental AI simulation service and SYM Healthcare’s AI-driven rehabilitation exercise prescriptions for musculoskeletal disorders.
Synthetic data, which replicates the statistical properties and structure of real data through AI, statistical models, or computer simulations, is generally considered to have a lower risk of exposing personal information.
DAO Solutions, in partnership with Yonsei University Dental Hospital, plans to test AI-powered dental orthodontic and treatment simulations using synthetic data generated from dental records.
SYM Healthcare will collaborate with Gil Medical Foundation to evaluate the effectiveness of their tailored diagnosis, prescription, and management services for musculoskeletal conditions.
The committee also approved exemptions in the hydrogen energy sector, with a focus on storage technology and expanded applications.
The Korea Construction Equipment Research Institute and partners will demonstrate a hydrogen storage system using metal alloys, applying it to hydrogen-powered forklifts. This exemption allows for solid-state storage methods, potentially leading to safer and more cost-effective hydrogen storage and fueling systems.
MoaSoft received approval to develop and test hydrogen fuel cells for heavy aircraft on land. The demonstrations, contingent on the establishment of safety standards and management protocols, are expected to inform future regulations for hydrogen fuel cells in aircraft in the 2,200-pound class.
Additionally, the committee designated AI-based real-time security threat detection and response technology as the inaugural project for the 2026 planned regulatory sandbox.
Current personal data protection laws restrict AI-based security monitoring by requiring prior consent from network users for data collection, thereby limiting the data that can be acquired.
This project will provide exemptions from these requirements and implement safeguards, such as external transmission restrictions. The goal is to enable real-time threat detection and response in vulnerable environments with frequent external connections, protecting critical corporate and customer data from breaches.