SEOUL, September 29 (AJP) - South Korea unveiled a new initiative on Monday aimed at securing a lead in what it calls “physical artificial intelligence,” a field that integrates advanced computing with the physical world, from robotics to autonomous vehicles.
The Physical AI Global Alliance, as the project is known, is supported by a multibillion-dollar investment commitment from BlackRock, the American asset management firm, and forms part of the government’s ambition to brand the country the “AI capital of Asia.”
The alliance brings together three ministries — Science and ICT, Trade and Industry, and SMEs and Startups — along with universities and more than 250 companies. Among them are some of South Korea’s best-known names in technology and manufacturing, including Hyundai Motor, LG’s AI research institute, Doosan Robotics and Naver Cloud.
Bae Kyung-hoon, the science and ICT minister, described physical AI as “the connection between AI and the real world,” calling it a focal point of global technology competition. He said South Korea would step up efforts to nurture the sector, including a significant increase in research and development funding in next year’s budget.
The alliance is structured around 10 divisions — five focused on technology development, solutions and talent, and five devoted to application areas such as robotics and autonomous vehicles. Officials said the goal was to encourage closer public-private collaboration and to better align supply and demand across industries.
Im Moon-young, vice chairman of the National AI Strategy Committee, pledged comprehensive policy support to help the country become a global hub in the sector.
The initiative will also be linked to the recently announced Manufacturing AX Alliance, which aims to drive tangible industrial adoption of AI.
* This article, published by Aju Business Daily, was translated by AI and edited by AJP.
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