"Industry Before Unicorns"... Venture Sector Calls for 'AX for All' Support

87% of Venture Companies "Positive on Lee Jaemyung Administration's AI Policy"
AI Infrastructure More Urgent Than Technology Development
"AX Support Needed for All, Not Just a Few Companies"
Policy Proposals Include Mandatory GPU Allocation

In order for South Korea to rise as a global "AI Top 3" power, voices from the field emphasize that it is necessary to systematically support the AI transformation (AX) of all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and venture companies that form the foundation of the industry, rather than focusing solely on fostering a handful of AI technology firms.

The AX Bridge Committee under the Korea Venture Business Association conducted a survey on the "Perception of Government AI Policy among Venture Companies" with over 400 CEOs and executives of domestic venture companies from July 11 to July 27, and announced the results on the 29th.

ChatGPT DALL·E

According to the survey, 87.4% of venture companies gave a positive evaluation of the AI policies of the Lee Jaemyung administration. However, there were continued suggestions that, in order to enhance the effectiveness of these policies, it is necessary to prevent support from being concentrated on a few companies and to improve access to practical resources that are urgently needed in the field.

"AI Adoption Still at an Early Stage... Cost Is the Biggest Obstacle"

Of all responding companies, 54.1% stated that their current stage of AI adoption is limited to "considering adoption" or "pilot introduction." 31.8% said they were using AI only in a limited way for certain tasks, while only 14.2% had fully adopted AI or reached the level of a specialized AI company. This reveals that, although AI technology has become a key topic across industries, actual adoption and spread in the field remain limited.

The biggest obstacles cited by companies in the early stages of AI adoption were "investment cost burden" (32%), "lack of technical expertise" (28.6%), and "shortage of AI personnel" (26.2%), in that order. One respondent expressed concern about the uncertainty of return on investment (ROI), saying, "I'm afraid that, like with smart factories, we will just spend money and end up abandoning it because it doesn't fit the reality of our company."

"What Is Needed Is Infrastructure... AX Support Centered on Materials, Parts, and Equipment Is Urgently Needed"

When asked which area of government AI policy is most needed, an overwhelming majority (84.6%) chose "expanding AI infrastructure and R&D investment," followed by "supporting AI startups and revitalizing investment" (63.0%), and "improving legal systems for data utilization" (45.0%).

Venture companies especially emphasized the need for support not only for companies developing AI technology itself, but also for industrial base companies in manufacturing, materials, parts, equipment (Sobu-jang), logistics, and healthcare that are attempting transformation using AI. They stressed that demand-based "industry field-customized AX policies" should be promoted together.

"GPU Vouchers and SME Quotas Needed in Government Support Projects"

The venture industry also suggested concrete alternatives to enhance policy effectiveness. To address the most urgent issue of insufficient AI infrastructure, there were many opinions that a certain proportion of the 50,000 GPUs secured by the government should be mandatorily allocated to SMEs and venture companies, and that an "AI infrastructure voucher" system should be introduced to allow them to use these resources at low cost.

Additionally, there were proposals to introduce an SME quota system when selecting government AI budgets and R&D projects, and to establish an "AI Fast Track" that shortens the entire process from application to fund execution to within 30 days.

A representative from the AX Bridge Committee of the Korea Venture Business Association stated, "The true measure of South Korea's AI success will not be the number of unicorn AI companies created, but rather how deeply AI has permeated the field among SMEs and venture companies, which form the backbone of our economy. The government's vision of becoming a 'Top 3 AI power' can only be realized when it is supported by 'AX policies for all,' enabling every SME and venture company to become the main agent of AI transformation."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.