South Korea's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, Bae Kyung-hoon, stated that the nation must maintain its momentum in artificial intelligence development. He emphasized that South Korea cannot afford to slow down its progress in this sector, as it is currently competing to establish new market positions.
The country benefits significantly from the global surge in demand for semiconductors and hardware, supported by major memory chip manufacturers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. These companies play a critical role in the ongoing expansion of AI data centers worldwide, making the domestic industry a key player in the global supply chain.
Bae Kyung-hoon's position contrasts with the calls from leaders at Anthropic and OpenAI, who have suggested decelerating AI development. Instead, he aligns with the views of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who argue that industry growth should not be hindered by new legal restrictions or regulatory hurdles.
The official noted that South Korea intends to accelerate research and application of AI while simultaneously strengthening defenses against cybersecurity threats, deepfakes, and privacy risks. A new plan for autonomous AI foundation models is expected to be released to the public shortly, focusing on both speed and safety.
