According to a McKinsey report, the scale of improved productivity after the introduction of AI amounts to 2.6 trillion dollars. As the pace of AI development is accelerating worldwide, experts from academia, industry, and research have argued that it is time for the Korean government to strengthen support, rather than regulation, to promote independent AI development.

In addition, although 12 AI-related bills have been proposed, 0 have been legislated, and since there is no regulation itself, uncertainty is hindering industrial growth, so they all agreed that a strategy should be pursued to introduce a basic AI law that clarifies the scope of regulation.

With the official launch of this forum, the proposal for the Basic AI Act, which was automatically scrapped due to the expiration of the term in the 21st National Assembly, will be re-enacted in cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties in the 22nd National Assembly.

The National Assembly AI Forum founding general meeting and commemorative seminar were held on the 26th at the National Assembly Members' Hall, hosted by the National Assembly research group 'National Assembly AI Forum'. The National Assembly AI Forum is a platform founded by members of the National Assembly, businesspeople, and academic experts, and aims to resolve ethical and social issues arising from the advancement of AI technology.

The event began with opening remarks and welcoming speeches by Representatives Lee In-sun and Cho Seung-rae, followed by a keynote speech by Naver AI Innovation Center Director Ha Jung-woo, followed by presentations by Kim & Chang attorney Kang Hyeon-jeong, Modu Research Institute CEO Kim Seung-il, and Digital Platform Government Committee AI Data Division member Oh Soon-young. In addition, Naver CEO Yoo Bong-seok, as well as many other leading companies such as Google Korea, Yanolja, and Kakao, participated.

In his keynote speech, Center Director Ha Jung-woo looked at the current state of AI from various angles and requested active support from the National Assembly for AI development for Korea’s advancement into sovereign AI. In particular, he said, “The biggest threat is not the technological limitations such as hallucinations or cases of abuse, but the country’s lack of AI competitiveness,” and requested active investment from the government.

Major overseas countries such as the United States, Japan, France, and Canada are already moving to secure 'sovereign AI' based on active generative AI. In 2023, Japan paid 68 billion won in subsidies to Softbank, and paid an additional 370 billion won in 2024. Canada is continuing its package investment worth a total of 2.4 trillion won in April.

Center Director Ha Jung-woo argued, “If we fail to secure our own AI, we will become dependent on basic technologies such as electricity, internet, and transportation networks required for AI development, and our identity and culture will become dependent on AI biased towards the values of foreign AI models, which could result in losing opportunities for economic growth in the long term.”

He said, "Currently, there are no countries with established AI industrial ecosystems other than the US, China, and Korea, but I don't know when that will be by the end of this year," and "The government should purchase GPUs in large quantities and support academic R&D by having capable private companies operate them." He also suggested, "In particular, if the government, academia, and research institutes form an alliance as a single team and work hard to develop sovereign AI, we can secure global competitiveness."

Oh Soon-young, a member of the AI Data Division of the Digital Platform Government Committee, argued, “The U.S. is reducing interference and implementing AI regulations centered on its own country in order to foster AI,” and “71% of AI talent is in companies, so the government and the National Assembly should create an environment to strengthen the capabilities of developers.”

He also said, “The problem is that there is no AI-related legislation itself, and if it is delayed, we will not be able to develop safe AI,” and urged, “Regardless of whether it is promotion or regulation, we should expedite legislation based on the framework that is already in place to some extent.”

Rep. Cho Seung-rae of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is in charge of research at the National Assembly AI Forum, said, “It is important to make laws after careful consideration, and we will actively, specifically, and essentially speedily consider Korea’s unique characteristics starting with the definition of AI.”