"Leading the Use of AI in Public Institutions"... Ministry of Science and ICT to Hold '2026 Public Institution AI Innovation Challenge'

by Lee Eunseo

Published 26 Apr.2026 12:00(KST)

The government will hold the "2026 Public Institution AI Innovation Challenge" to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in public institutions.

"Leading the Use of AI in Public Institutions"... Ministry of Science and ICT to Hold '2026 Public Institution AI Innovation Challenge'

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on April 26 that it had issued a notice regarding the "2026 Public Institution AI Innovation Challenge," which is jointly hosted with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and organized by the National Information Society Agency.

The Public Institution AI Innovation Challenge is one of the tracks of the "National AI Competition," held last month under the slogan "An AI Festival for All to Enjoy Tomorrow's Possibilities." The Ministry of Science and ICT created this new track this year to encourage public institutions to take the lead in expanding the use of AI.

This competition is divided into two sections: "AI Service Proof of Concept (PoC)," where public institutions plan and demonstrate public AI services, and "Outstanding Cases of AI Utilization," which evaluates exemplary results and cases of widespread adoption of AI services by public institutions. Public institutions wishing to participate can apply from June 1 to August 28.

The government plans to select about 30 cases and announce the results in the fourth quarter of the year, followed by an awards ceremony. Incentives such as additional points in management evaluations will be given to outstanding public institutions. The government also plans to support public institutions in adopting advanced AI technologies to generate demand and serve as testbeds for private companies.

Hong Seong-wan, Director General for Information and Communications Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "We have set 'becoming the country that uses AI best in the world' as a national policy goal and are promoting the 'AI for All' policy, which includes supporting the adoption of AI so that everyone can easily utilize it in daily life." He added, "Through the first-ever 'Public Institution AI Innovation Challenge,' we hope public institutions will take the lead in using AI to create innovative services that the public can truly experience."