[Insight & Opinion] Nationwide AI Education: The Best Path to Prepare for the Future

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It is an era of change both domestically and internationally. The global situation is unpredictable, and domestic politics are no different. Such uncertainty tends to diminish people's confidence and vitality. In times like these, it is wise to build the foundational strength that the era demands with a long-term perspective. What is the primary foundational strength required by the times? Undoubtedly, it is AI utilization capability. Not just a few people, but ideally all citizens should possess AI utilization skills, much like literacy. The AI era is an inevitable environment that we will all face.

The government is also preparing in various ways to respond to the AI era. Examples include establishing the National Artificial Intelligence Committee, developing AI with a national elite team, and implementing education using AI digital textbooks. I would like to make an additional proposal: AI education for all citizens.

Education is the most fundamental and important activity to prepare for the future. It is true that our current education system has many problems, but it is also true that education has played a driving role in the development of our society. Looking back, education has contributed significantly twice. The first was the full-scale start of public education about 60 years ago. With the implementation of compulsory elementary education, all citizens gained the opportunity to learn, and the nation's strong enthusiasm for education was ignited. Education served as the engine for South Korea, which was extremely poor, to achieve miraculous economic growth.

The second was the national informatization education that began in 1999. The government anticipated the arrival of the digital age and launched digital education targeting 10 million people. These 10 million were vulnerable groups such as soldiers, housewives, people with disabilities, and the elderly. The plan was based on the expectation that educating these 10 million socially disadvantaged people would lead the remaining 40 million to learn on their own, resulting in the entire nation acquiring digital capabilities. This intention was exactly right, and South Korea became a digital powerhouse admired worldwide.

A third education that will upgrade South Korea once again is urgently needed. This is nationwide AI education or AI education for 10 million citizens. While training a small elite of AI talents and education using AI digital textbooks are necessary, AI education for all citizens must also be added. This is because AI has now become an essential commodity that must be used daily, like electricity, water, and digital technology.

It would be good to refer to the successful experience of national informatization education. It is necessary to focus education on groups likely to be excluded from AI education opportunities, such as soldiers, housewives, people with disabilities, the elderly, unemployed, self-employed, and employees of small and medium-sized enterprises. The plan is to design and implement a 10 million or 20 million citizen AI education program that prioritizes socially vulnerable groups. I believe this will naturally have the same effect as implementing AI education for the entire nation.

National AI education cannot and should not be done by a single government ministry alone. Like national informatization education, it should be led by the Ministry of Science and ICT, but also be a whole-of-government and bipartisan coalition policy with active cooperation from the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the National Assembly. To cover the required budget, it is also possible to use local education finance subsidies or prepare a separate supplementary budget. Let us actively promote such future-oriented programs for all citizens during these turbulent political times. I believe history will judge that, even amid such turmoil, implementing nationwide AI education led to the creation of a proud AI powerhouse, South Korea.

Kim Hyun-gon, Invited Professor at Chungnam National University Graduate School of Public Policy · Former Director of the National Assembly Future Institute

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