President Moon: "COVID-19 Confirmed Our Artificial Intelligence Potential"

'Korean New Deal Meets Artificial Intelligence' President Moon Visits KINTEX... Overview of AI Basic Plan, National Strategy Achievements, and Future Vision

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] # A boy who could not lift his head or crawl due to developmental delay was diagnosed with 'congenital myasthenia' after undergoing genetic testing using the precision diagnostic AI 'Dr. Answer.' After administering neurotransmitter (treatment) to the patient, he was able to lift his head and crawl.

# Previously, public health center officials confirmed symptom onset twice daily by phone for self-quarantined and actively monitored individuals due to 'COVID-19.' By utilizing AI, not only was the workload reduced, but early detection of confirmed cases was achieved. AI automatically checked symptoms via phone calls, uploaded responses to a website, easing the burden on quarantine personnel, and early detected four confirmed cases in Gyeongsangnam-do.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 25th, President Moon Jae-in visited the event site held at KINTEX in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, to observe the changes AI has brought to South Korea. This event was an opportunity to share the achievements and vision of the AI basic plan and national strategy established by the Moon Jae-in administration over the past year and to encourage companies.

This was President Moon's eighth field visit since setting the Korean New Deal as a national strategic vision. In his opening remarks, President Moon stated that it had been a year of relentless efforts by the public and private sectors together toward becoming a leading AI nation.

In particular, President Moon evaluated that the COVID-19 crisis became an opportunity to confirm Korea's AI potential, establishing AI as a core driving force in overcoming the crisis through the Digital New Deal.

President Moon urged companies to take the lead in enhancing AI competitiveness through bold investments and win-win cooperation efforts to achieve early results from the Digital New Deal. The government also promised to remove obstacles by establishing AI ethical standards and improving laws and systems.

Minister Choi Ki-young of the Ministry of Science and ICT reported on the 'One Year Achievements of the National AI Strategy,' stating that the government has been implementing the national AI strategy at the whole-of-government level and will continue to translate current changes into Digital New Deal outcomes.

Major companies such as Naver, KT, Kakao, Samsung Electronics, and SK Telecom presented various innovative efforts, achievements, plans, and future visions they are pursuing in the AI field according to their corporate characteristics and strengths.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Naver unveiled world-class AI robot technology capable of learning precise force control, such as peeling fruit by hand. In line with the Digital New Deal, it pledged to continuously cooperate with other companies to enhance the industrial use of data.

KT introduced the 'AI One Team,' formed with nine industry-academic-research partners including Hyundai Heavy Industries Group, LG U+, and Hanyang University, to compete with global AI companies. It disclosed ongoing collaborative projects and achievements in joint R&D, social problem-solving, and talent development.

Kakao Enterprise expressed its ambition to become a leading AI company through investments in AI and cloud sectors. It announced plans to spread AI technology across various fields such as automobiles and work environments using its platform to drive innovation.

Samsung Electronics introduced key research areas including AI-based next-generation communication and display technology advancement centered on seven global AI research centers, as well as various personalized services. It stated its commitment to developing 'Human-Centered AI' that provides new value and experiences to users through AI technology.

SK Telecom unveiled the nation's first commercial AI semiconductor product for data center (server) use. It also presented a vision to grow into a top-tier AI semiconductor company and lead the realization of South Korea as the number one AI nation.

The Blue House explained that "this event was conducted under thorough quarantine measures including pre- and post-event disinfection, hand sanitization, and temperature checks in response to COVID-19."