Bae Gyeong-hun, the nominee for Minister of Science and ICT, emphasized on the 27th the need for 'establishing a long-term research environment' to address artificial intelligence (AI) leaks.
On the same day, Bae met with reporters as he arrived at the office of the personnel hearing preparation team set up at Gwanghwamun Post Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and said, "I think it's important to instill a vision that not only AI but also scientific and technological talents can conduct good research."
According to the Stanford University's Human-Centered AI (HAI) Institute, last year, 3.6 AI talents out of 100,000 were leaked overseas from Korea, ranking 35th among the 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which is the lowest level.
In response, Bae stated, "It's essential to first ensure that a research environment is well established for AI talents to conduct long-term research in Korea."
Regarding the research and development (R&D) budget, he said, "Basic research in various fields must be well established to advance AI, and I believe the overall R&D ecosystem can also develop well." He added that "R&D investment budgets should continue to expand. Gradual budget increases are necessary."
Concerning the increasing corporate cyber breaches, he emphasized the need for a 'national inspection system.' Bae noted, "The most important thing in security is prevention," and added, "As there will be many related services in the AI era, we must closely examine the national cyber security system."
The results of the public-private joint investigation into the SK Telecom hacking incident are expected to be announced as early as the end of this month. In relation to this, Bae stated, "There seem to be some legal measures to take, and I think we should also prepare preventive measures to prevent recurrence and guide them."
Some insist that the Ministry of Science and ICT needs to separate science and technology from information and communications. In response, Bae said, "Science and technology and AI are inseparable. Just as AI significantly boosts corporate productivity, I believe we can achieve high research results in the field of science and technology by utilizing AI, and I think it's important to work on connecting both. We plan to focus on that area."