'K-AI' Establishes Its Presence Across Legal, Gaming, and Beauty... Expanding Its Role in Industrial Fields

Expansion of Upstage, SKT, LG, and NC AI Utilization
Broader Reach into Material Discovery and the Startup Ecosystem

Domestic artificial intelligence (AI) models are rapidly expanding their application across various industries, including legal services, gaming, cosmetics research and development (R&D), and the startup ecosystem. In a generative AI market previously dominated by global big tech, Korean companies are now establishing their own AI models in real-world services and industrial settings.

On May 18, the Ministry of Science and ICT released the second installment of its series, "Our K-AI Models Are Rolling Out in the Field," introducing cases of domestic AI models being applied in industrial environments.

Sungrae Park, Director of Research at Upstage NFM Center. Provided by Ministry of Science and ICT

From Legal Review to Conversing with Game Characters... Expansion of K-AI Applications

Legaltech company Law&Company is currently conducting beta tests for government agencies by applying Upstage's proprietary AI model, "Solar Open," to its legal AI service, "Superlawyer."

This service supports core legal work such as case law searches, legal review, and drafting preliminary documents. The government expects that by utilizing domestic AI models, it will be possible to provide high-quality legal AI services even in security-sensitive environments.

Sungrae Park, Head Researcher at Upstage NFM Center, commented, "We are continuing our research and development with the goal of establishing Korean AI's pride among global giants. We are focusing on developing foundation models that will serve as the cornerstone of future innovation in Korean AI."

The application of K-AI is also expanding in the gaming sector. Krafton is utilizing SK Telecom's proprietary AI model "A.X K1" in the development of "PUBG Ally," an AI character capable of conversing and cooperating with players.

Hyunseung Kim, Lead Developer of PUBG Ally at Krafton AI Applied Research Lab. Provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT

A.X K1 is a model with strengths in understanding the Korean language and cultural context, and it is being used to enhance the naturalness and quality of Korean-language conversations for in-game AI characters. Krafton plans to further advance the interaction between players and AI characters, aiming to strengthen its competitiveness in the global gaming market.

Hyunseung Kim, Lead Developer of PUBG Ally at Krafton AI Application Research Lab, stated, "PUBG Ally is different from existing NPCs, as it collaborates with users and responds proactively. By leveraging SK Telecom's A.X K1, we are improving the quality of Korean-language conversations, and we plan to further develop the system to provide players with a new gaming experience."

"Material Discovery That Used to Take 22 Months, Now in Just One Day"

LG AI Research has applied its material discovery AI model, "EXAONE Discovery," to the development of cosmetic ingredients at LG Household & Health Care.

This model learns from massive molecular structure and chemical reaction datasets to predict material properties and synthesis outcomes. According to the government, this has shortened the process of discovering new materials for cosmetics from about 22 months to just one day.

Support for the startup ecosystem is also being expanded. NC AI is participating in a startup support program based on its proprietary AI model, in cooperation with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development.

The initiative is designed to help startups utilize domestic AI models to develop industry-specialized AI solutions and bring them to market. The government explained that, in addition to NC AI, various domestic AI companies are participating in the "Modu-eui Challenge AX" project.

The Ministry of Science and ICT stated, "Domestic AI models are proving their competitiveness by being rapidly adopted in industrial and service settings. We will continue to support K-AI so it can become a core foundation for industrial innovation and the growth of the startup ecosystem."

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