The Ministry of Science and ICT said on the 11th that it held the "AI for S&T TF" workshop at The PLAZA Hotel Seoul and would begin in earnest to push a Korea-style "science and technology × AI." Science and technology × AI means combining science and technology with AI to create new innovations or research methodologies.
The Ministry of Science and ICT launched the AI for S&T TF in Aug. and began working-level discussions. The TF is co-led by Vice Minister Koo Hyuk-chae of the Ministry of Science and ICT and Head of Team Lim Woo-hyung, head of LG AI Research Institute, and is composed of a general committee and working subcommittees. The working subcommittees are operated as four divisions—strategy and system, domain specialization, research support, and foundation—and since Aug., each division has derived priority action tasks.
This workshop was prepared to discuss the results of each subcommittee's activities and to reflect them in the future national strategy. The domain specialization subcommittee proposed plans to develop foundation models specialized for semiconductors, secondary batteries, bio, materials, energy, and nuclear power. The research support subcommittee focused on ways to reduce administrative tasks such as analyzing research literature and trends and writing project proposals or final reports so that researchers can concentrate solely on their research.
The foundation subcommittee emphasized that the key is to strengthen data and infrastructure at the national level and to prepare a common platform where AI foundation models and agents developed in various fields can be mutually linked and spread.
In opening remarks at the workshop, the Vice Minister said, "AI is no longer confined to the advancement of the technology itself; it is becoming the key to solving scientific grand challenges and innovating the research and development ecosystem," and added, "The government will pool experts' wisdom to establish a Korea-style AI for S&T strategy and build a world-class research and development ecosystem to secure an overwhelming lead in national strategic fields."
The government plans to compile the discussions from this workshop and establish and announce a national AI for S&T strategy that contains a mid- to long-term vision and an action plan.