[Inside Chodong] Expectations and Concerns for the "AI Chief"

Government Must Lay the Foundation for 'Convergence'
Bold Investments and Ecosystem Building Are Urgently Needed

President Lee Jae Myung Yonhap News

There are both high expectations and concerns surrounding the establishment of the "AI Future Planning Chief," one of the top policy pledges of President Lee Jae Myung's administration. As the world enters an era of intense competition in artificial intelligence (AI), attention is focused on the decision to create this new high-level position, which is expected to play a pivotal role in securing the nation's future economic drivers. The previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration established the Chief of Science and Technology to serve as a control tower for science and technology policy. However, after facing significant backlash from the scientific community due to cuts in government research and development (R&D) budgets, the administration spent considerable time managing the aftermath. As a result, the original grand vision was never realized, and the Chief of Science and Technology quietly disappeared from history.

This is why, despite the industry's hopes, there is still a sense of concern regarding the new AI Chief. A representative from the AI sector recently remarked, "It is encouraging that the government recognizes the importance of AI and is creating a new chief position. However, simply adding a new office in the presidential administration will not immediately solve the challenges facing AI." The representative emphasized, "Since Korea is currently following rather than leading in the AI market, it is crucial to lay the groundwork for 'convergence' so that companies can properly conduct business." Another industry insider stressed the urgent need to activate the entire value chain, "from AI semiconductors to the service sector." The consensus is that the government's role is to foster an ecosystem that enables Korea's AI, other industries, and new technologies to thrive. Ultimately, this is directly linked to economic revitalization and job creation, which can secure future growth engines.

A young executive who founded an AI semiconductor company and is growing the business confidently stated, "No one in the world wants to see Nvidia maintain its dominance. In a few years, this monopoly will be broken, and our goal is to seize that opportunity." The executive believes that, as a latecomer with strengths in rapid pursuit, Korea can create opportunities if it sets ambitious goals and takes on strategic challenges. To achieve this, the industry agrees that building a robust ecosystem?through support for startups and talent development?is of utmost urgency, and bold national investment must accompany these efforts.

Recently, there has been a surge of activity, especially among Middle Eastern countries, to build independent AI ecosystems that reflect their own data and culture. The need for sovereign AI systems that embody Korea's values and environment is also rapidly emerging. Korea already relies heavily on AI developed by global big tech companies, such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini. The recent ChatGPT outage clearly demonstrated how significant disruptions can arise from such dependence on AI.

The new administration has announced a vision to invest 100 trillion won in AI with the goal of making Korea one of the "top three AI powers," but a concrete blueprint has yet to be revealed. The appointment of the AI Chief is the first step. The newly established Office of Future Planning Chief will oversee not only advanced technologies but also critical national issues such as demographics and the climate crisis. For President Lee, AI is an essential survival strategy for restoring livelihoods and driving economic growth. Unlike previous administrations, which saw such initiatives end as one-off events, it is hoped that this new office will live up to its name by moving beyond its establishment to concrete action, ultimately becoming an organization that leads "real growth."