The Ministry of Finance and Economy held the “2026 SME Technology Market AI Forum” at the Sejong Convention Center. About 200 companies took part, including public institutions, firms certified by the technology market and AI suppliers.
Vice Finance Minister Heo Jang said the SME Technology Market has been a leading platform linking capable small firms to the public procurement market. With AI now central to national competitiveness in an era of “AI transformation,” he said, the platform should expand into AI and “take the next step forward.”
The event also featured a launch performance for an expanded “Public Institutions AI Utilization Council,” bringing together previously selected AI-leading institutions and participating organizations across five key fields. Organizers said the move underscored the public sector’s intent to lead in adopting AI.
The AI companion forum was held in three parts. In the first and third sessions, excluding the opening ceremony in the second, AI suppliers held one-on-one matching meetings with public institutions and certified firms, logging more than 400 consultations to connect on-the-ground demand with needed technologies.
A follow-on AI seminar included an expert-led briefing on AI trends — “past, present and future” — an introduction to public institutions’ AI support programs, presentations on strong growth cases among small firms that adopted AI, and a live showcase of physical AI in use by public institutions.
The ministry said the forum helped link public-sector AI demand with private-sector capabilities and would support wider use of AI in government while accelerating AI transition among small and midsize companies.
Heo said the newly launched council should help build an AI ecosystem in which the public and private sectors grow together. He also called for the “Technology Market AI section” to become a practical venue for finding strong AI technologies and moving them into real-world application, adding that the ministry would provide policy and institutional support.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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