"It would be great if we could create AI better than the U.S. or China, but we need to view the current situation realistically," said Hah Jung-woo, the newly appointed Vice Chair of the National AI Strategy Committee, during his first press briefing.
On August 31, Hah expressed concerns about China's rapid expansion in the global AI market, attributing it to the country's open-source and open-weight strategies. The briefing, held at the Government Seoul Building, was attended by 15 media outlets.
"China is Growing Rapidly Amid Intense Internal Competition"
Hah identified state-led investment and fierce internal competition as key factors behind China's AI growth. He stated, "China is experiencing significant state-led investment, and there are many outstanding AI companies competing fiercely. They are growing rapidly in that intense environment." He noted that companies like Alibaba are strengthening their leadership in the open-source ecosystem, supporting developing countries in adopting open-weight models.
While he acknowledged that South Korea does not lag significantly behind in terms of individual researchers, he recognized structural gaps. "The capabilities of individual researchers in our country are not far behind, but factors such as the number of researchers, market size, and the power of the Chinese government create significant disparities," he explained.
Hah also emphasized that he is closely monitoring recent movements by the Chinese government. He mentioned, "Last month, it was reported that the Chinese Ministry of Commerce summoned major AI companies to discuss the need for government approval before releasing frontier AI models. We must consider the increasing possibility of export controls similar to those in the U.S."
Independent Foundation Model: "With Government Support, We Can Compete"
Regarding South Korea's independent foundation model strategy, Hah discussed both its achievements and limitations. He explained that the independent AI foundation model (Dukpamo) initiative was launched because domestic companies found it challenging to compete alone. "Upsage ranked seventh in the open router rankings. With adequate government support, we can certainly make progress," he stated.
However, he also pointed out the current system's limitations and expressed a need to explore new support methods. "If it is difficult to create top-level frontier AI with the current system, we should consider concentrating support on highly capable groups. By expanding methodologies for creating frontier AI, we can also build competitiveness in the physical AI sector," he said.
"The Committee is a Coordinator"... Disputes Among Ministries to be Resolved in Consultation
On the committee's role, Hah described it as a coordinator within a triangular structure. He stated, "The Blue House serves as an advisory organization, the ministries are execution organizations, and the committee organizes direction and coordinates large-scale projects in between. Since there are more private experts than in the Blue House's AI office, we will play a role in coordinating execution." He added that projects with disagreements among ministries will be adjusted in the CAI consultation body.
When asked about the most pressing regulatory obstacles, he identified data and licensing issues. He noted, "There are various challenges in data utilization, and when trying to quickly establish data center facilities for mega-projects, there seem to be difficulties in obtaining licenses." He also emphasized the need for supply chain diversification, stating, "We have secured a significant amount of GPUs since last year, but being dependent on specific companies can pose risks, so we need to diversify our supply chain."
"The AI Gap Between Central and Local Governments is the Biggest Puzzle"
Hah shared insights from conversations with local voters during his candidacy for the National Assembly. He remarked, "I felt that the accessibility and understanding of AI among the central government, local industries, and ordinary citizens differ significantly from what government ministries perceive. How we bridge this gap will be a major puzzle for the future of our country's AI industry."
In response to criticism of revolving door appointments, he stated that he would address concerns through achievements. He said, "Criticism may arise, but if we create results and contribute to industrial development, such concerns will naturally dissipate." Regarding a provision in the recently proposed AI Transition Basic Law by the Blue House's AI office concerning corporate compensation collection, he expressed a cautious stance. He stated, "While I agree with the intent of the bill, we need to discuss specific implementation plans with relevant committees to find the most suitable solution."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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