Korea’s preparedness in AI technology

Chat GPT, an AI-based chatbot program, has taken the world by storm. In just 40 days into its launch in December, it has acquired more than 10 million users around the world. In two months, the number of uses exceeded 100 million, the fastest pace in app history. Its popularity reflects the widespread use of AI, which had been used mostly in technology and commerce, and the shift in the digital paradigm.

Chat GPT is an ultra-large and pre-generative AI that not only combines and analyzes information data that it has learned but is also capable of inference and suggesting opinions. It can find answers to questions of various professional exams, such as the bar exam, and produce thesis or speeches on a given topic within minutes. It can even produce creative activities such as poetry or novels that humans had previously considered only capable. It is impossible to even estimate how further AI services can expand.

Global platform businesses have announced investment plans worth trillions of won in developing AI search engines. Microsoft has decided to invest 10 billion U.S. dollars in Open AI, the developer of Chat GPT. Google has also announced plans to invest 500 billion dollars in developing similar services. Both companies appear to be determined to gain the upper hand in AI technology, the game-changer for big tech. The market for AI services such as Chat GPT is estimated to reach 1 trillion dollars.

The competition is also heated among countries, particularly China, which is eager to catch up with the U.S. The gap between the U.S. and China is narrowing in terms of the number and quality of research papers on AI issued in China last year, the result of government support to research institutes and universities on next-generation AI development plans. Korea, on the other hand, has a long way to go. Korea’s patent file rate in hyper-scale AI is 10.6%, which lags behind the U.S. (34.5%), China (33.3%), and Japan (11.3%). Korea turned out to be relatively weak in talent and operation environment, based on the Global AI index of an international data analysis agency.

AI is a game-changer that will bring revolutionary changes to the future IT market. The technology will bring about changes not only to the software market, such as search platforms, but also to the memory chip industry, one of the key growth industries for Korea. It is more important than ever to secure technological excellence to lead the AI industry. The government should exert all efforts to support R&D, talent growth, and investment. Side effects arising from data usage or copyrights should be prevented while removing excessive regulations on technology.