South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT announced on the 11th that it will begin accepting applications for contractors to implement eight projects under its "10 AI Projects for People's Livelihood" initiative.
The "10 AI Projects for People's Livelihood" aims to rapidly deploy AI services that citizens can experience in their daily lives, focusing on areas with high public impact to spread the benefits of AI innovation.
The current call for proposals covers eight projects divided by scale and characteristics. The specific projects include: an AI agent-based platform for budget-conscious agricultural product consumption information; AI-powered startup and business consulting solutions for small business owners; AI-based national heritage interpretation solutions; "Deep Blue Eye" AI system using aerial surveillance footage; AI safety monitoring solutions for human-applied products; an AI national tax consultation system; "Everyone's Police Officer" AI service; and an AI-based integrated licensing pre-diagnosis service.
The ministry plans to select eight consortiums comprising AI and ICT companies capable of developing, demonstrating, and deploying AI solutions for each project, providing support for up to two years from 2026 to 2027.
The application period runs from today through February 16th. Selection evaluations and contractor appointments will be completed in March, with full-scale project implementation from April this year through December next year. Among the eight projects, those related to agricultural products, national heritage interpretation, and national tax services are slated for expedited development to enable service launches within this year.
Detailed information on support provisions and selection procedures for applications is available on the Ministry of Science and ICT website (www.msit.go.kr) and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency website (www.nipa.kr).
Lee Do-kyu, Director General for Information and Communications Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "We will push forward with the 10 AI Projects for People's Livelihood at pace to enhance convenience by introducing AI to existing public services, provide customized services tailored to each citizen's circumstances, and boost public efficacy through the discovery and delivery of new AI public services."
He added, "We will do our utmost to ensure these projects serve as a catalyst for the development of Korea's domestic AI ecosystem—including AI models, infrastructure, and services—and contribute to realizing an AI-based society."