Korea's national AI model project adrift as government questions own blueprint

Korea's national artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model project is facing challenges as the government, which initiated the program and advocated for its final evaluation despite controversies, has started to question its own blueprint. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon expressed this sentiment on Facebook, stating that the project will proceed despite "various projections and speculation."

He emphasized the need for Korea to also pursue frontier AI, warning that the gap between countries that have advanced AI and those that do not could widen significantly. However, Bae clarified that this does not mean the national foundation model project should be abandoned. He argued that not all AI needed in industries needs to be a massive frontier model, and what is required is AI optimized for each field, considering factors like cost, speed, security, and specialization.

This decision comes in the wake of reports that the ICT ministry is conducting a thorough review of the project's direction, including whether to move forward with its final-round evaluation.