The Korean government is stepping up discussions on long-term strategies for science, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) that will extend beyond 2030.
The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) announced the launch of the "Science, Technology and AI Future Strategy Council" at the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, on Thursday afternoon. The council comprises 17 private-sector experts drawn not only from science, technology, and AI research but also from economics, industry, education, healthcare, culture, and law. It aims to identify and deliberate national science strategy agendas through 2035 in response to the changes that AI and advanced technology will bring.
Bae Kyung-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, who attended the inaugural meeting, said, "MSIT prepared a future strategy back in 2020 as well, but at that time there was no mention of generative AI." He added, "We need to discuss how the scientific and industrial communities should prepare for the arrival of the AGI (artificial general intelligence) era."
Bae also said, "We need to ask ourselves whether we can build a model like Mythos on our own," adding that "Korea's awareness of and preparation for AI are still insufficient."
Participants discussed what society and the education sector must do to navigate the AI era. Kim Ju-ho, a professor at KAIST, said, "We need to consider how to measure the quality of AI utilization at the national level, and based on those standards, how to build social consensus and develop AI capabilities." Kim Sang-wook, a professor at Kyung Hee University, emphasized the importance of education in fundamental sciences such as physics. "When the internet was first introduced, there were differences in how individuals used it, but looking back, knowledge of the fundamentals ultimately mattered most," he said. "Since AI policy is currently moving from infrastructure building to the diffusion of applications, basic education must be strengthened so that students can make good use of applied fields."
The government plans to hold the Future Strategy Council on a quarterly basis. It intends to conduct research centered on the agendas identified at the meetings and expand them into policy in coordination with other ministries.
