Korea is one of the five countries in the world that has developed a super-large AI model, and is considered a country with high growth potential. In the midst of this, it has been argued that the domestic AI ecosystem needs to be strengthened in order for the domestic industry to not be dependent on the super-large AI centered on MS's ChatGPT.

On the 31st, a seminar on the current status of AI technology and international norms trends was held at the Federation of Korean Industries Conference Center.

This event, hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), discussed the various AI norms trends being discussed internationally and domestic implications at the same time as the recent full-scale competition among large-scale AI companies such as ChatGPT.

In his keynote speech, Choi Seok-young, an advisor at Gwangjang Law Firm, explained, “AI technology has not yet developed standards, and has developed internationally in the form of guidelines related to safety and transparency,” adding, “No binding standards have yet emerged.”

If AI norms that only exist as principles and guidelines are to develop into AI governance, the immediate task is to discuss who will regulate it and how to regulate it. Currently, the domestic bill exists as an AI law called the 'Act on Fostering AI Business and Creating a Trust Base,' which was created before ChatGPT, and Advisor Choi stated that this law needs to be completely revised in order to activate the AI industry ecosystem.
On this day, Naver's Director of Policy Strategy Lee Gwang-yong, who is developing a domestic super-large AI model, gave a keynote speech, explaining trends in super-large AI and pointing out current issues.

The international trend of super-large AI is that among the five countries that possess it, Korea, the US, and China are evaluated as the world's top three. In particular, Naver has maintained the top spot for a long time, surpassing Google in domestic market share, so among domestic platforms, it is quickly catching up with the trend of super-large AI models.

In this situation, Director Lee Kwang-yong explained that having a domestic super-large AI can prevent dependence on the super-large AI of global big tech companies. He emphasized the optimization tailored to Korean users, saying, “English-based models such as ChatGPT inevitably reflect Western values as the mainstream, while Korean-centered super-large AI reflects Korean values more along with Korean fluency.”

However, it is reported that the native Naver is having a difficult time in the money game with global big tech companies. Microsoft is investing 10 billion dollars (13 trillion won) in OpenAI, which is developing ChatGPT, this year alone, and is spurring market leadership even though short-term sales are low and even showing a deficit.

Naver has invested more than 1 trillion won in AI development over the past three years. Not only is this a huge difference compared to Microsoft’s previous investment, but the Japanese government has recently provided Softbank with 5.3 billion yen (48 billion won in Korean currency) in support of the development of generative AI, showing signs of intensifying the next-generation technology competition at the national level beyond the competition between private companies.
On the 30th, the Ministry of Science and ICT released the 2024 budget plan, presenting a research and development budget plan that is 10% lower than this year. Of this, only 4 billion won is newly invested in the development of next-generation generative AI technology.

The industry is just watching, considering concerns that direct government budget support for large corporations may cause public sentiment backlash. The prevailing opinion is that securing competitiveness in the next-generation market for ultra-large AI is essential, even through indirect support methods such as tax benefits.

Considering examples such as the government's policy to foster semiconductor clusters and support for the secondary battery industry to revitalize the electric vehicle market, policy support is provided only when a synergistic effect is expected for the entire related ecosystem, even if the policy benefits large corporations. Accordingly, it is necessary to consider supporting the development of ultra-large AI in this regard.

Director Lee Kwang-yong said, “If the AI field is designated as a cutting-edge industry, it will be of great help,” and added, “There is concern that the perspectives of the West, such as those of the United States, are largely reflected in international norms, which could create invisible trade barriers.” He suggested that if the government participates in discussions on international norms at the government level and responds to such discussions through collaboration with domestic companies, it will be possible to enhance the global competitiveness of the domestic AI industry.

In his opening remarks, Bae Sang-geun, Executive Director of the Federation of Korean Industries, said, “Despite AI-related regulations worldwide, AI has emerged as a game changer with great growth potential as an industry.” He added, “In order for Korea to firmly establish itself as one of the countries developing its own ultra-large AI model, it will need support measures for AI-related investment, talent acquisition, and infrastructure acquisition.”