The Ministry of Science and ICT will establish a dedicated team of 61 members to develop AI (artificial intelligence) services that citizens can directly experience. Of these, 26 positions, including the team leader, will be filled by private-sector AI experts.
On the 26th, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced the establishment of the "National Artificial Intelligence Service Innovation Task Force," designed to design and develop AI-based services. The task force will be established under the Ministry of Science and ICT in accordance with the State Council Order titled "Regulations on the Establishment and Operation of the National Artificial Intelligence Service Innovation Task Force," which took effect last month on the 30th.
The task force will be responsible for rapidly developing and providing services that citizens can actually use, responding to the surging demand for AI-based public services. Examples of services to be developed include administrative efficiency services utilizing AI, as well as public AI agents that proactively identify public services needed by citizens, inform them, and assist with applications.
The 26 private-sector AI experts will be hired as special term civil servants. In particular, the team leader will be assigned to an expert with extensive experience in actual AI service development, enabling direct decision-making on service planning and development direction.
Local government officials who have completed the "AI Champion Program" under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will also be dispatched to the task force. The AI Champion Program is a training initiative designed to cultivate practical personnel capable of implementing work automation and services using AI in public administration settings.
A separate framework for collaboration between ministries and institutional investors necessary during the AI service development process will also be established. Since AI services often require linking data from multiple ministries, relevant institutional investors, and local governments, the task force plans to operate both a policy consultation body and a public-private consultation body.
The policy consultation body will include central administrative institutions and local government officials to support inter-ministerial collaboration. The public-private consultation body will gather opinions from relevant industries, private experts, and civic organizations to reflect rapidly evolving AI technologies and user demands in service development.
Public recruitment for private-sector experts will target 26 individuals across various fields, including AI service planning and development, including the team leader. Applications will be accepted starting on the 2nd of next month, with final selections announced in September following document review and interviews.
Bae Gyeong-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, stated, "If the past year was a period for laying the foundation for South Korea's leap as an AI powerhouse, now is the time to demonstrate results through services that citizens can experience in their daily lives." He added, "The task force represents a new initiative where private experts create and rapidly deliver AI-based services within government organizations."
in TECH
