President Yoon Suk-yeol met with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, who sparked the generative artificial intelligence (AI) boom with ChatGPT, at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 9th.
The presidential office stated in a written briefing that President Yoon and CEO Altman held a conversation for about an hour discussing the direction of AI development, potential risks and solutions, cooperation between OpenAI and Korean startups, and international regulations.
President Yoon expressed, "There is a ChatGPT craze sweeping the world," adding, "When I tried asking ChatGPT to draft my New Year's address as a test, it produced quite plausible results."
In response, CEO Altman evaluated, "Korea is not only one of the countries that use ChatGPT the most worldwide but also a country with the technological foundation for ChatGPT to advance."
CEO Altman emphasized, "Korean AI startups are fully equipped to compete on the international stage," adding, "Korea already possesses many assets for AI development, such as semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, and Korean startups have proven their competitiveness globally." OpenAI also expressed its commitment to doing its best to support Korean startups where possible.
When President Yoon asked, "Which field should Korea focus on?" CEO Altman pointed to the semiconductor sector. He explained, "In the AI era, non-memory semiconductors are necessary, but due to the massive amount of data, demand for memory semiconductors will also greatly increase. OpenAI currently uses many Taiwanese semiconductors, but even if Taiwan continues to supply them, Korean semiconductors are needed to meet demand, and many countries earnestly want to cooperate with Korea."
In response to President Yoon's question about any message for Korean companies and people, CEO Altman said, "I suggest increasing the production capacity of system semiconductors to activate AI, removing regulations on corporate activities to build an AI ecosystem, and playing a leading role in establishing international norms."
During the meeting, President Yoon mentioned, "Because the pace of technological advancement is so rapid, international regulations to prevent side effects related to ChatGPT must be established swiftly." CEO Altman agreed and said, "I hope Korea will take a leading role."
Meanwhile, Lee Young, Minister of SMEs and Startups, who attended the meeting, reported to President Yoon that they discussed a 'collaboration project' with OpenAI involving mentoring and incubating cooperation between global companies and Korean startups, technology exchange, and cooperation with system semiconductor startups.
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