Gong Jin-ho, director of the AI Policy Planning Division at South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT, speaks Tuesday during an information session for the “AI for Everyone” project at Front1 in Seoul. Photo by Asia Today
July 21 (Asia Today) — South Korea plans to launch a free artificial intelligence service for the public by the end of the year, seeking to reduce reliance on foreign platforms such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and expand access to the technology.
The Ministry of Science and ICT said Tuesday that the service, tentatively called “AI for Everyone,” is scheduled to begin formal operations in December.
The government said it wants to lower barriers to AI adoption and make the technology as easy for the public to use as a calculator.
The ministry presented details of the project during an information session at Front1, a startup support center in Seoul’s Mapo district.
The government said most South Korean users of generative AI currently depend on free foreign services, which can impose usage limits and create risks associated with reliance on overseas platforms.
Officials said the proposed service is intended to narrow disparities in AI access while supporting South Korea’s domestic AI industry.
The government plans to initially offer a general-purpose chatbot built with domestically developed AI models. The platform will also be designed to provide access to public services.
Beginning in 2027, the government plans to develop the platform into a personalized AI agent for each resident.
The upgraded service could eventually provide assistance with personal financial management, education, retirement preparation and housing decisions, according to the ministry.
The National IT Industry Promotion Agency, which is managing the project, plans to begin accepting proposals this month and sign agreements with selected companies in September.
Public service is scheduled to begin in December.
Companies may apply individually or as part of a consortium. Applicants will be evaluated on their experience and ability to develop AI-based services.
The government will provide the selected developers with access to 512 Nvidia B200 graphics processing units owned by the government.
If two companies are selected, each will receive access to 256 GPUs. If three are chosen, the highest-ranked company will receive 256, while the other two will each receive 128.
The computing resources will be provided for five years beginning when the agreements are signed.
In exchange for receiving the GPUs, selected companies must prepare beta services by the end of September.
At least 50% of the AI models used by each service must be developed in South Korea. Companies also must use domestic models developed by other businesses for at least 30% of their service.
The requirements are intended to prevent developers from building platforms that rely only on their own models and to encourage broader participation across the domestic AI industry.
Details including whether users will be required to create accounts and how the service applications will operate will be determined after the developers are selected.
The short development schedule remains a concern.
Less than five months remain between the project announcement and its planned public launch. Selected companies also will be expected to produce services that can be distinguished from established foreign AI platforms.
A ministry official acknowledged the tight schedule but said the project does not require companies to develop new foundational models.
“It is true that the schedule is tight, but this project is intended to build services using existing AI models rather than develop new models,” the official said.
The government will discuss with the selected companies how to operate the beta program in preparation for the December launch, the official said.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260721010007555
