The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 1st that it held a meeting of the "SME and venture AI policy council" at Osco in Cheongju with public institutions and representatives from AI specialist and demand corporations to introduce and expand artificial intelligence (AI) for small and midsize corporations.
The policy council is run in a format in which the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) and public institutions present policies and hold forums on AI every month and host meetings such as public-private cooperative policy discussions. The event was prepared to hear from regional corporations facing difficulties introducing AI due to AI introduction expense burdens and a lack of skilled workers and to find solutions.
Following presentations of AI policy outcomes and plans by each institution, including the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) and the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs (TIPA), there were presentations and discussions on sharing on-site AI utilization trends in the industry and introducing exemplary corporations by region for AI adoption and use.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) discussed the "regional corporations AI utilization promotion plan (provisional title)" and a bill to enact the "SME AI utilization promotion act," which is under deliberation in the National Assembly. The "regional corporations AI utilization promotion plan (provisional title)" is a measure being prepared in line with recommendations presented by the Presidential Committee on AI as the "Korea AI action plan." The MSS plans to flesh out detailed strategies and tasks by reflecting the results discussed at this policy council.
Professor Jang Tae-woo of Kyonggi University said, "For the expansion of hiring at small and midsize corporations, industry-academia cooperation in AI focused on graduating college seniors is important," and added, "Government workforce training projects also need to expand the operation of practice-based problem-solving courses that link universities and corporations."
Lee Sang-ho, head of the Korea Autonomous Manufacturing Platform Association, noted, "What small and midsize corporations want is on-site application of technology," and said, "Beyond AI technology verification, it is urgent to create momentum for productivity gains through system connectivity and data standardization."
Hwang Young-ho, director general for technology innovation policy at the MSS, emphasized, "Amid global AI competition, the great AI transition of small and venture corporations is a key task for an economic leap," and said, "Based on the suggestions and opinions raised at this policy council, we will do our best to prepare AI introduction and expansion measures that corporations can feel in the field."