The government has announced plans to continue the independent artificial intelligence (AI) foundation model project, known as Dopamo, separate from the Frontier AI development. However, the budget proposal for next year indicates that related data projects will be integrated and restructured. Concerns have been raised due to the lack of specific investment targets and conditions for the 750 billion won allocation, highlighting the need for clearer government explanations.
On October 2, Kim Seon-min, a member of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee, revealed details from the 2027 budget and fund management plan. The Ministry of Science and ICT has allocated 800 billion won for the 'Support for Strengthening Data Competitiveness for Frontier AI Development' project.
The budget documents indicate plans to 'integrate, restructure, and expand' projects related to next-generation AI technologies, including artificial general intelligence (AGI) and the development of Dopamo. Contrary to the government's previous statements about maintaining Dopamo while separately pursuing Frontier AI development, the budget proposal effectively combines the two initiatives.
Kim stated, "While the government has communicated to the media that these projects will be pursued separately, it submitted a plan to merge them to the National Assembly. The public deserves a clear explanation of why the budget proposal combines these initiatives when they are said to be pursued independently and what the actual implementation plan is."
Of the 800 billion won allocated by the government, 750 billion won will be directed toward supporting Frontier-level AI data. This initiative aims to secure and utilize high-quality training data to help domestic AI models achieve world-class performance.
The support structure will also change. This year, 25 billion won was allocated for data purchasing and processing by the elite team of Dopamo, but starting next year, this will be converted into an investment through the Industrial Bank of Korea. The government will invest 750 billion won in the Industrial Bank, which will then invest in domestic AI companies.
The remaining 50 billion won will be used to establish a foundation for AI learning in cybersecurity. This will support the purchase, processing, and quality verification of data necessary for developing security-focused AI models through the Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA).
Kim criticized the lack of a detailed spending plan for the large investment budget, stating, "While I agree with increasing AI investments, we cannot simply issue a blank check of 750 billion won without clear usage and conditions."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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