Ministry of Science and ICT Announces Recruitment for AI Grand Challenge Teams

Recruiting Teams Until September 19
Selecting 6 Outstanding Teams... Total Research Funding of 12 Billion Won Provided

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 10th that it will recruit teams to participate in the 'Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Competition (Artificial Intelligence Grand Challenge)' from the 11th to September 13.

This Artificial Intelligence Grand Challenge will be held under the theme of 'Policy Support Artificial Intelligence.' The goal is to secure technology that enables artificial intelligence to analyze and understand vast amounts of data present in reports, statistical materials, etc., and generate information that can support policy formulation. The competition will proceed in three stages until 2024, starting with the first stage in December this year.

The first stage of this year's competition will pose the problem of 'Present answers and evidence based on policy reports containing tables, graphs, etc.' to compete in research capabilities necessary for developing policy support AI technology. It will challenge AI's understanding of tables, figures, language, and complex reasoning based on these.

The Artificial Intelligence Grand Challenge allows participation in various forms such as universities, companies, research institutes, research associations, individuals, and consortia. Research teams wishing to participate can submit a letter of intent during the recruitment period and conduct voluntary preliminary research to prepare for the competition.

After the team registration deadline, detailed problem definitions, additional technical documents, sample data, and other materials necessary for competition preparation will be distributed to the participating teams. A project briefing session (both online and offline) to assist teams' understanding is scheduled for September 16.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to select a total of six outstanding research teams based on the results of the December competition. The six selected teams will receive the Minister of Science and ICT Award and follow-up research funding of approximately 1 billion KRW per year (about 2 billion KRW per team over two years, totaling around 12 billion KRW) for two years.

A Ministry of Science and ICT official emphasized, “Through this competition, we will secure AI technology reflecting creative problem-solving ideas from diverse participants and further support it as a foundation for South Korea to advance as a digital hegemony nation.”