Ministry of Science and ICT: "Evaluation Period for Independent AI Consortia Extended... No Impact on First Elimination Announcement Schedule"

"Evaluation Period Extended by Two Days for Expert Panel Review"

Paik Kyunghoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, is delivering a welcoming speech at the first presentation of the "Independent AI Foundation Model" project held on the 30th of last month at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

The Ministry of Science and ICT has extended the evaluation period for the AI models of each consortium participating in the Independent Artificial Intelligence (AI) Foundation Model selection project beyond the originally planned schedule.

According to the Ministry of Science and ICT and industry sources on January 11, the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) requested that the AI model sites, which were made available to the evaluation panel for the five consortia participating in the Independent AI Model project, remain open until midnight on this day, instead of the originally planned closing time of 6 p.m. on January 9.

The agency asked for the sites, which were created to allow the expert evaluation panel to review each consortium’s model, to be operated for two additional days.

Some observers have shown interest in the background of this extension, especially as controversy has recently arisen regarding the independent technological capabilities of certain consortia’s models. Since the first round of eliminations for the Independent AI Model selection project is expected to be decided around January 15, the industry is closely watching whether this will affect the future announcement schedule.

An official from the Ministry of Science and ICT told The Asia Business Daily on this day, “The extension was granted because the expert evaluation panel expressed concerns about insufficient time to assess the consortia’s models, and it is unrelated to the recent controversy over the independent technological capabilities of certain consortia,” adding, “The announcement of the first round of eliminated consortia will also proceed as scheduled.”