Establishment of AI Safety Research Institute in November... National All-Out Effort
Decision to Build '2 Trillion Won Scale' National AI Computing Center
Progressive Approach to AI Copyright and Personal Data Protection
Sangwook Park, Chief of Science and Technology at the Presidential Office, is heading to the microphone on the 26th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul to brief on current issues related to the National Artificial Intelligence Committee, which held its inauguration ceremony that day. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The government plans to establish an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Safety Research Institute in November and enact the AI Basic Act within this year. They are determined to launch a nationwide all-out effort as a public-private one team to become one of the top three AI powers by 2027.
The National Artificial Intelligence Committee decided this at its first meeting held on the 26th at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul, according to a briefing by Park Sang-wook, the Presidential Office's Chief of Science and Technology. President Yoon attended the launch ceremony and the first meeting of the National Artificial Intelligence Committee that day.
Chief Park said, "President Yoon stated that we are currently experiencing a civilizational transformation where AI is changing human life, and that a national overhaul through AI transformation will determine the future fate of our country," adding, "he emphasized that AI is a genuine game changer that controls national capabilities, economic growth, and is a core of security."
The government announced plans to promote four major AI flagship projects: ▲significantly expanding national AI computing infrastructure ▲greatly increasing private sector AI investment ▲fully implementing national AX (AI+X) ▲securing AI safety, security, and global leadership.
Chief Park said, "First, to provide AI computing infrastructure, we decided to build a national AI computing center with a budget of 2 trillion won," adding, "we will expand the scale of the latest Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) to more than 2 exaFLOPS (EF, capable of performing 10^18 floating-point operations per second), which is 15 times the current capacity we possess."
This is equivalent to the combined scale of 30,000 units of NVIDIA's high-end GPU product 'H100'.
According to the Presidential Office, the private sector has expressed willingness to invest a total of 65 trillion won in the AI field over four years from this year to 2027. The government plans to actively support this by providing tax incentives and other measures to further activate private investment.
Chief Park emphasized, "To achieve a balanced advancement in AI development, safety, and trust, we will establish the AI Safety Research Institute in November and push for the enactment of the AI Basic Act within this year," adding, "through this, we will also strengthen global AI leadership."
The AI Basic Act is expected to institutionally support AI development and include provisions to prevent misuse such as fake news and deepfakes. A Presidential Office official said, "Deepfakes and fake news are expected to be a major focus of the Safety and Trust subcommittee under the National Artificial Intelligence Committee."
President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the inaugural ceremony and first meeting of the Presidential Committee on National Artificial Intelligence held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on the 26th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
During the National Artificial Intelligence Committee discussion that day, opinions were raised on the need for laws and institutional improvements to support the government's active investment and innovation. In particular, business leaders emphasized the need to unite efforts so that domestic AI semiconductor companies can emerge to compete with NVIDIA, the leader in AI chips.
Chief Park said, "While maintaining the core values of protecting copyrights and personal information, it is necessary to proactively improve regulations so they do not become obstacles to innovation," adding, "President Yoon said the government will actively support building the AI ecosystem overall, including cloud, networks, and AI semiconductors, and will also increase research and development (R&D) investment."
A senior official from the Presidential Office said, "The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission also attended as government members that day," adding, "They promised a very proactive approach regarding copyright issues related to AI training data and personal information protection."
The National AI Computing Center will be established through a public-private joint investment method, as it requires trillions of won. When the government and private companies establish a Special Purpose Corporation (SPC), the private sector will invest, and the rest will be financed through policy funds from the Korea Development Bank.
A Presidential Office official said, "Due to supply and demand issues, it won't be completed in just a few months," but added, "It will be fully underway from next year with a plan to be established by 2030 at the latest, and it will be completed well before then."
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