Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon stated regarding the debate among global big tech leaders over 'AI speed control' that "we have no luxury to slow down." This statement is interpreted as reaffirming South Korea's position as a country in AI. It means that to narrow the gap with leading AI nations such as the United States and China, South Korea must quickly secure its own independent AI competitiveness. There is simply not yet a level of discussion where speed control can be considered.
On the 16th, Deputy Minister Bae posted on his social media (SNS) that "what AI needs is not 'speed control' but 'speed responsibility'," clarifying his stance on the recent debate among big tech leaders regarding 'AI speed control.'
Regarding the 'AI speed control' argument, Deputy Minister Bae wrote, "In fact, this discussion is not new. It is a serious issue that requires careful consideration and preparation." However, he added, "From South Korea's perspective, one thing is clear: we have no luxury to slow down the pace of AI at this moment."
Considering that the government is dedicating national policy momentum to securing global competitiveness in the AI era through three major mega projects (semiconductors, AI data centers, and physical AI) and focusing on developing an independent AI foundation model project, the message implies that rather than slowing down, South Korea must quickly secure its status as a leading AI nation.
Deputy Minister Bae emphasized, "We must go beyond creating an independent AI foundation model based on LLMs (large language models) and expand the technological domain to include VLMs (vision-language models) and VLAs (vision-language-action models) that can actually see, understand, and act in industrial settings." He further stated, "In the future, the gap between countries that have secured frontier AI capabilities close to AGI (artificial general intelligence) and those that have not will not be limited to a mere technological divide. It could connect to industrial competitiveness, economic strength, national security, and ultimately the nation's future competitiveness."
The judgment is that if South Korea fails to acquire frontier capabilities, it should worry less about threats from AI and more about falling behind in competition and facing survival challenges. It is also interpreted as meaning that to minimize the negative impacts of AI development that global big tech leaders are concerned about, South Korea must secure top-tier AI models of similar performance levels.
The fact that the government's large-scale AI investments are recently showing tangible results is also a background factor for Deputy Minister Bae's emphasis on 'catching up.' Previously, the global AI model evaluation firm Artificial Analysis released a report ranking South Korea as the "clear third" in global AI (artificial intelligence) competition, following the United States and China. In response, Deputy Minister Bae stated, "We still have a long way to go before we can be satisfied with being ranked third," and emphasized, "We must develop better models and advance them into AI that industries and citizens actually use extensively." Deputy Minister Bae's clear stance against speed control arguments today is also based on the recognition that although South Korea has been evaluated as third globally, the gap with the first- and second-ranked leading nations remains significant.
Deputy Minister Bae stated, "The issue of a country already in the lead slowing down its pace is entirely different from a country catching up while simultaneously creating new markets lowering its own speed." He added, "The path South Korea must take is to become an AI nation that can move faster while also moving more safely."
He also said, "We will boldly press the accelerator on AI research and development and industrial applications, but we must ensure proper brakes are in place for risks." He further noted, "From institutional preparations for implementing the Basic Act on AI to △development of independent foundation models △AI for All △security-specialized model projects, and up to the frontier AI model project aimed at South Korea's leap as a true top-three AI power, we will prepare everything without delay."
Regarding Deputy Minister Bae's stance today, an AI industry executive commented, "The discussion on speed control is a concern for leading AI nations that have already secured and are developing frontier models." The executive interpreted Deputy Minister Bae's statement as meaning that it is more urgent to narrow the gap with these leading nations and that securing a leading status will minimize the negative impacts of AI that big tech leaders are worried about.
in TECH
