[IT Cafe] Deputy Prime Minister Bae Gyeonghun Becomes the "Promoter" of the National AI Competition

Encouraging Participation at the Cabinet Meeting Draws Attention

Photo by Hwang Hun Bae, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, Yonhap News Agency

"The National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Competition is about to begin. The President may also attend, but if he wins a prize, I'm afraid we won't be able to give him any award money (laughter)." (Bae Gyeonghun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT)

"I don't have the skills to win a prize, haha." (President Lee Jaemyung)

Bae Gyeonghun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, took the lead in promoting the upcoming 'National AI Competition' during a Cabinet meeting held at the Blue House on March 24. Since the competition is part of the 'AI for Everyone' project, which aims to enable all citizens to create and use AI, Bae emphasized his commitment to encourage participation from all government ministries and to make the event a success.

During the Cabinet meeting, which was broadcast live, Bae lightened the atmosphere by saying, "The National AI Competition, with a total prize pool of 3 billion won, will be held this week, and not only public officials but anyone in the country can participate. However, if any of the people here (public officials) win a prize, I don't think we can actually give you the award money." President Lee responded with humor, saying, "I'm not skilled enough to win a prize," further encouraging a successful event.

The Ministry of Science and ICT will hold the opening ceremony of the competition this Thursday at the Grand Hall of Yangjae EL Tower. The event was organized in response to the rapid integration of generative AI, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, into daily life, and is intended to provide all citizens with the opportunity to solve problems using AI, now that AI literacy has become essential.

The government will operate the competition in a way that allows anyone to participate, with categories and levels ranging from nationwide AI quizzes and error-finding challenges, to AI creation contests for elementary, middle, and high school students, rookie AI competitions for university students, and the National Happiness AI Competition for underprivileged groups. Additionally, the government plans to expand the event into a national festival by linking it with competitions organized by private companies and relevant ministries. In particular, by promoting the use of domestic AI in each sub-competition, the event is expected to serve as a catalyst for the broader adoption of Korean AI technologies and services.

A Ministry of Science and ICT official stated, "After operating the competition from next month through November, we plan to recognize outstanding achievements at the AI Festival held at the end of the year," adding, "As the government's 'Independent AI Foundation Model' (Dokpamo) project is underway amid strong interest from both the industry and the public, we hope this newly launched National AI Competition will continue to build excitement and momentum."

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