The government will re-recruit a project director (PD) for the AI scientist mission of the 'K-Shoot Project' (hereinafter K-Shoot), which became vacant following the resignation of Astromorph CEO Lee Min-hyung.
According to the science and technology community on the 30th, NST (National Research Council of Science and Technology) is reported to have presented a proposal for recruiting a PD for the K-Shoot AI scientist mission during a written meeting held the previous day (29th).
Following relevant procedures, recruitment will commence, with public hiring conducted for approximately two weeks. Once a PD is selected through evaluation, they are expected to begin their duties as early as early September. With regulations in place this month to hire the K-Shoot PD as a special national researcher affiliated with NST, new PDs are anticipated to be appointed as special national researchers simultaneously upon deployment of their duties.
K-Shoot is a cross-ministerial project led by the Ministry of Science and ICT that aims to achieve innovative results by 2035 through the integration of AI (artificial intelligence) into science and technology R&D (research and development). In May, it announced its launch by appointing PDs in 12 fields including △AI scientists △humanoids △new drugs △BCI (brain-computer interface), but encountered difficulties during subsequent implementation.
In particular, Lee Min-hyeong (CEO), appointed as the AI scientist PD in June, voluntarily resigned citing conflicts of interest between government R&D projects and corporate activities. Since special national researchers must work on a full-time or part-time basis, it was difficult to concurrently engage in corporate activities.
Controversy also arose on some SNS (social networking services) regarding Lee (CEO)'s unusual academic background and career history. Lee (CEO) drew attention as the youngest among PDs with an average age of 50, including university professors and researchers (24 years old at the time of selection). After dropping out of high school, he enrolled in Seoul National University's graduate school at age 16 and founded the startup Astromorph, attracting investments worth approximately 40 billion won within one year of founding.
Following Lee (CEO)'s resignation, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that NST's Director of the National Science AI Research Center would temporarily serve as acting head instead of filling the PD vacancy.
Meanwhile, this re-recruitment puts the Ministry of Science and ICT under scrutiny once again. The controversy surrounding Lee (CEO)'s selection was not limited to his resume alone. There are still divergent opinions within the research community regarding the name and concept of the AI model 'AI scientist,' as well as significant differences in perspectives on the model's design and learning methods. A science and technology official stated, "The more cutting-edge the field, the harder it is to identify a leader recognized by all, and the AI scientist is one such case," adding, "To avoid repeating similar incidents, it is necessary to continuously refine the verification system for PD selection."
in TECH
