Business leader.
Tech humanist.
Visionary.
Songyee Yoon has been at the forefront and intersection of technology, ethics and play for decades. Songyee recognized from an early age the power of play in the human experience while also seeing the everincreasing capacity for technology to do good—and to cause harm.
After graduating from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Songyee went on to earn her Ph.D. from MIT in Computational Neuroscience. Her strong belief in the concept of “play” as a crucible for innovation eventually led her to NCSOFT, a leading global video game developer and publisher, where she served as president and chief strategy officer. Forecasting the importance of emerging technologies, she founded the NCSOFT AI Center and Natural Language Processing Center. Songyee’s early interest in artificial intelligence set her on a quest to help ensure developers of AI consider ethical implications alongside technical possibilities.
Through her philanthropy, she has supported the study of “embedded ethics” within computer science departments at leading academic institutions. She is a member of the advisory council at the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, served as an advisory board member of the Center for Asia Pacific Policy, and was a visiting fellow at the Center to Advance Racial Equity Policy at RAND, where she continued to explore social impacts of AI, equity and ethical sides of technology. She also serves on the board of trustees for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Songyee brings a unique lens to bridging countries’ approach to technology and ethics and is an involved figure in the international business community. While a member of South Korea’s Presidential Advisory Council for Science and Technology, Songyee served under two presidents. She was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of the 50 Women to Watch in Business by the Wall Street Journal.
Speaking
TedAI San Francisco Conference
October 22nd & 23rd, 2024
TED events bring together a group of industry leaders and change makers for unique experiences dedicated to TED's global mission of sharing meaningful new ideas. We are devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others. TEDAI San Francisco is curated and organized by Sam & Walter De Brouwer, in collaboration with TED.
Financial Times' Business of Entertainment Summit
September 19-20, 2024
The Financial Times’ inaugural Business of Entertainment Summit will bring together the key players across film & TV, music and gaming to find solutions to the industry’s biggest challenges, identify how collaboration can breed success and explore how businesses can capitalize on disruption.
Christie's Art + Tech Summit
July 17-18, 2024
Christie’s Art+Tech Summit is a two-day conference bringing together artists, technologists, academics, regulators and industry leaders, continuing Christie’s commitment to lead the dialogue about the role and impact of technologies in the art world.
Milken Global Conference
May, 2024
The Milken Global Conference gathers thought leaders, innovators, and change-makers to confront challenges from geopolitical tensions and the pressing climate crisis to the complexities of artificial intelligence.
GamesBeat Summit 2024
May, 2024
GamesBeat Summit brings together leaders across the spectrum of the video game industry ecosystem including entrepreneurs, talent, anchor corporations, support organizations, investment capital, and innovation enablers.
IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing
April, 2024
The world’s largest and most comprehensive technical conference focused on signal processing and its applications. Songyee will speak about AI in game development and what more will come in coming years.
Seoul Innovation Forum
Jan 9, 2024
At CES in Las Vegas, Songyee will address a gathering of business leaders to share her perspectives on AI and its implications for Korean businesses.
Future Investment Initiative (FII)
Oct 24-26, 2023
Global, inclusive and driven by data, the FII fosters great minds from around the world and turn ideas into real-world solutions and actions in four critical areas: Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics, Education, Healthcare and Sustainability.
New Global Sport Conference
Oct 23, 2023
The New Global Sport Conference is a groundbreaking gathering of global leaders in the gaming, sports, and esports industries.
MIT AI conference
Oct 21, 2023
MIT AI Conference embodies MIT’s tradition of “mens et manus” - applying technology for real-world impact - by convening a cross-section of AI thought leaders including leading academics, engineers, executives, investors, and experts.
Books
Mosaic of Minds: Navigating the Coexistence of Artificial Intelligence and Humanity
Push Play: Gaming for a Better World
The Most Humane Future
Coming in English spring 2024
Laughing Peanut
"Gamers are early adopters in nature. They desire experiences and hold high expectations for our technology adoption. Gaming has consistently been the innovation epicenter for testing new technology, including AI."
Articles
Forbes | April 24, 2024
The Flaw in Artificial Intelligence’s Limitless Potential
While AI’s power is unending, we must also consider how its decisions have a real human impact that may go against its programming.
Read moreForbes | March 27, 2024
The Gaming Industry’s Edge in the Artificial Intelligence Revolution
"Artificial intelligence (AI) has been part of gaming since the early days of arcade games. It has evolved from simple decision-making processes in games like Galaga to complex systems that power today’s large and immersive gaming worlds."
Read moreForbes | February 27, 2024
Playing Together: Making Work More Like a Game
"According to the most recent Gallup poll on employee engagement, only 32% of employees in today’s workforce say they are engaged at their jobs."
Read moreForbes | January 29, 2024
Gaming as a Lens Into the Future
"Play has played an essential role in human evolution and development...This crucial aspect of our youth goes beyond mere entertainment; it drives us towards innovation and social breakthroughs."
Read moreVentureBeat | April 25, 2023
Artificial generative intelligence risks a return to cultural colonialism
"The explosive rise in the popularity of AI chatbots has brought us to a pivotal moment that will have lasting effects on our collective worldview."
Read moreVentureBeat | December 20, 2023
What game development methodology can teach the Biden administration about solving the COVID-19 pandemic
"Tackling the pandemic is a resource management and optimization problem. At its heart, it is a multilateral dependency puzzle – one that should be familiar to anyone involved in the building of games and virtual worlds."
Read moreMedium | December 11, 2023
Importance of Play
"Anthropologists and developmental theorists do not doubt the significant role of play in human evolution."
Read moreDong-A Ilbo | June 25-September 3, 2000
Connect Series
A ten-part series on the emergence of digital life. "Moving beyond the era of imitating analog space, we now find ourselves in a period where digital technology is cultivating its own culture. The emergence of 'digital life', distinct from analog life, is imminent."
Read moreIn the News
Axios | January 25, 2024
Songyee Yoon: Transforming gaming using responsible AI
"All this technology and the software that's being developed really reflects the perspective of those who are developing it."
Read moreThe Korea Economic Daily | January 15, 2024
Interview with NCSoft President Songyee Yoon
"You cannot expect an AI trained on inherently biased data to produce unbiased output."
Read moreThe Miilk | January 10, 2024
Seizing AI Sovereignty
"Korea must move faster to develop AI models."
Read moreHankyoreh | June 22, 2023
For NCSOFT’s Yoon Songyee, fighting prejudice is about so much more than AI
"The game company’s chief strategy officer shares her thoughts on AI and being a working mother."
Read moreChosun Ilbo | March 2nd, 2023
A Conversation between Songyee Yoon and Tod Machover, Professor of MIT Media Lab
"In the current age of Artificial Intelligence, the significance of human creativity has become paramount. Now, more than ever, we need to shift our emphasis in education towards nurturing 'small c' creativity, which encapsulates everyday problem-solving and innovative thinking..."
Read moreMaeil Economic Newspaper | October 19, 2022
A conversation between Songyee Yoon and Esther Wojocicki
"Children who are encouraged to take risks and not fear failure often have the highest chances of succeeding in their endeavors. This approach fosters resilience and adaptability, critical traits for navigating life's challenges."
Read moreDesign House | March 2022
The Gaming Industry is the Darling of Design
"NCSoft President Songyee Yoon, an outstanding engineer and artificial intelligence expert, says that games are the crown jewel of design. She considers the convergence of technology and design to be natural and does not distinguish between developers and designers."
Read moreForbes | June 12, 2017
NCSoft Goes West: How The Korean Video Game Giant Is Translating Success
"In 1998, a startup called NCSoft launched one of the most popular video games of all time, although you've probably never heard of it."
Read moreChosun Ilbo | December 17th, 2011
A Conversation between Songyee Yoon and John Maeda, President of RISD
"The role of artists will become more important in the 21st century. While science and technology drove development in the 20th century, designers and artists can lead the creative economy with the assistance of AI and other tools."
Read more