[Reporter’s Notebook] AI Leaders Step Down in Less Than a Year... Sincerity in Question

"We will rise to become one of the world's top three artificial intelligence (AI) powerhouses." This was a pledge made by President Lee Jaemyung during last year’s presidential election. Alongside this, President Lee also promised initiatives such as an "AI expressway" to support rapid AI development and an "AI basic society" to bridge the AI gap.

"Korea can also achieve a top-three position in AI." Less than a year after the presidential election, someone else has made a similar pledge. This is a campaign promise announced on April 28 by Ha Jungwoo, the former Chief Secretary for AI Future Planning under the Lee Jaemyung administration, who resigned from his post to run as the Democratic Party of Korea’s candidate for Buk-gu, Busan.

Those who previously held major AI-related positions are now running in the June 3 by-elections to enter the National Assembly. Candidate Ha launched his campaign early in Buk-gu, Busan, while former Vice Chair of the National AI Strategy Committee, Im Moonyeong, is running in Gwangsan-eul, Gwangju. Both cite the advancement of AI as their reason. Democratic Party leader Jeong Cheongrae said, "In order for the National Assembly and the party to effectively support the government's AI policies, we need talented individuals like Vice Chair Im," adding, "Together with candidate Ha, they can serve as a dual driving force and play a major role in AI legislation in the National Assembly."

However, questions about their sincerity have been raised. The National Assembly is actually a more challenging place to advance AI-related policies compared to their previous positions. If they had remained in their roles, they could have continued to work on AI policy for another four years, but as district lawmakers with only two years left in their terms, they cannot fully devote themselves to AI. They must also address local issues such as population, jobs, transportation, education, and welfare, which seem far removed from AI. Moreover, even within the National Assembly, there are times when they must focus on topics entirely unrelated to AI. Most recently, for example, the Democratic Party has been embroiled in controversy over the "Fabricated Prosecution Special Prosecutor Act," which grants the special prosecutor the authority to drop charges.

That said, it is not as though they have completed their tasks in the AI field to the extent that would justify stepping down. With regard to the AI expressway, the National Assembly has only just taken the first step by passing the "AI Data Center (AIDC) Special Act," which eases regulations on the establishment of data centers. It has not yet been decided which non-metropolitan region will host an AIDC. The realization of the AI basic society is still a long way off. The "independent AI foundation model" project, aimed at building infrastructure for universal AI access, is still underway. Even if two teams are selected at the final stage, it is uncertain whether things will proceed as planned. Furthermore, AI-related issues, such as security threats posed by Anthropic's high-performance generative AI model "Mythos," are emerging every day.

"There is a severe shortage of personnel." According to an official from the Ministry of Science and ICT, the surge in AI-related policies and workload is leaving them short on both manpower and time. While those on the front lines are working day and night to implement AI policies, the AI leaders have shifted their paths in pursuit of personal recognition. If such occurrences become a pattern, public trust in the government’s initiatives is bound to decline. The AI gap between Korea and the United States or China continues to widen, and it is hardly likely that the AI leaders are unaware of this.

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