Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bae Kyung-hoon of the Ministry of Science and ICT visited the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) on the 13th to directly inspect the site of next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) humanoid development and discuss the direction of science and technology AI policy with experts from industry, academia, and research. The move is aimed at improving the completeness of the "science and technology AI national strategy," which the government will announce at the end of this month.
The science and technology AI strategy is expected to include development of AI foundation models in Korea's strong fields such as bio and materials, the establishment of an "AI research colleague (Co-Scientist) platform" that injects AI into the entire research and development process, and strategies to secure competitiveness in advanced industries such as physical AI and robots.
Bae said, "When I thought about whether Korea has made the kind of preparations worthy of a Nobel Prize, I think there were many shortcomings," adding, "Now, to win a Nobel Prize, we should invest well in basic research, but we also need a shift in the research paradigm centered on AI research colleagues."
Alongside this, the government has moved the creation of a "national scientist system" to improve treatment of scientists and engineers to the finalization stage. Once discussions with the National Assembly are concluded, it will be finalized, and each year 20 national scientists at the scholar level and 200 young national scientists who will lead the next generation will be selected for focused support.
Bae said, "Building a country where scientists and engineers are treated fairly is the starting point for growth," calling it "a fundamental policy that can lift Korea's potential growth rate again."
At the "2nd science and technology AI strategy dialogue" held that day, a variety of views were exchanged on the future of science and technology-based AI. Experts continued discussions around four themes: physical AI, innovation in AI-based bio and materials industries, the development direction of AI research colleagues, and revitalizing AI startups in the science and technology field.
Experts agreed that "science and technology AI will not only dramatically accelerate research speed but also become a core industry that produces high added value," and they shared the view that national investment and strategic support are needed.
Bae also observed a demonstration of the AI humanoid "KAPEX," which KIST and LG are co-developing. KAPEX is the first Korea-style AI humanoid platform jointly created by a domestic research institute and a large company, and it aims to become an independent model competing with Tesla's "Optimus" in the United States and Unitree's "G1" in China.
Bae evaluated humanoid technology as "a symbolic platform where AI, robots, materials, and semiconductors are brought together," while noting, "To move beyond the demo level and operate in real industrial settings, securing large-scale datasets and platformization are urgent."
Bae also referred to the recent remark by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who mentioned Korea as a "best partner for physical AI," and said, "China is catching up quickly, but if we invest with speed even now, Korea can become a powerhouse in robots."