The Korean government is accelerating its national artificial intelligence research project, "K-Moonshot," in partnership with Google DeepMind. Marking the 10th anniversary of the AlphaGo match, the initiative aims to institutionalize science and AI cooperation and build a comprehensive framework spanning joint research, talent development, and AI safety.
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul on Thursday. The agreement covers joint research in science and AI, AI talent development, and responsible AI use. The Four Seasons Hotel is the same venue where the "Google DeepMind Challenge Match" between Lee Sedol, a ninth-dan Go master, and AlphaGo took place in 2016. The symbolic significance is considerable, as the government and DeepMind have declared a new start for AI cooperation in the same venue a decade after AlphaGo.
Google DeepMind is a leading research organization that has driven AI paradigm shifts through the Go-playing AI AlphaGo and the protein structure prediction model AlphaFold. AlphaFold, in particular, has been credited with transforming life science research itself by dramatically reducing the time required for protein structure analysis. Hassabis was a co-recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for these achievements, demonstrating AI's practical value in science and technology.
The agreement seeks to connect DeepMind's AI research capabilities with Korea's science and technology innovation. MSIT is pursuing "K-Moonshot" to boost research productivity using AI and plans to launch full-fledged exchanges of technology, data, and researchers through its partnership with DeepMind. The two sides will pursue joint research in fields where AI has high impact, such as life sciences and meteorology and climate, and establish a cooperation hub centered on the National Science AI Research Center, which is scheduled to launch in May.
Cooperation on talent development will also expand. Google plans to establish an AI Campus in Korea to broaden collaboration with domestic academia and startups and will offer internship opportunities for Korean researchers to experience DeepMind's research environment. The AI Campus will serve as core cooperation infrastructure linked to K-Moonshot. The two sides will also cooperate on AI safety and governance. They will pursue joint research on AI model safety evaluation, safeguard design, and testing methodologies, and continue discussions on building a framework in connection with the AI Safety Institute. The goal is to go beyond technology development competition and jointly establish standards for responsible AI use.
MSIT and Google DeepMind plan to form a joint working group for quarterly consultations and hold annual in-person meetings to specify detailed cooperation tasks. "AI has entered a stage where it solves difficult scientific and technological challenges and directly affects people's lives," Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon said. "This agreement will be a key opportunity for Korea to accelerate AI-based science and technology innovation."
