'AlphaGo Father' CEO Hassabis Visits Korea...Meets President Lee for AI Cooperation

원본보기 아이콘

Demis Hassabis, Chief Executive Officer of Google DeepMind, who oversaw the historic Go match between Lee Sedol, 9-dan, and the artificial intelligence (AI) AlphaGo ten years ago, will meet with President Lee Jaemyung on April 27. President Lee will meet with CEO Hassabis to discuss the remarkable progress of AI technology and explore partnership strategies to elevate Korea into one of the global top three AI powerhouses.

According to the Blue House and the IT industry on April 27, President Lee is scheduled to meet with CEO Hassabis, who arrived in Korea the day before, at the presidential office in the afternoon to discuss specific plans for AI cooperation between Google and the Korean government. The main agenda items will include AI-driven innovation in science and technology and the responsible use of AI. Returning to Korea after ten years, CEO Hassabis is expected to begin his visit by meeting President Lee, followed by a series of meetings with key figures in government and business to explore various avenues for collaboration with Google in the AI sector.

President Lee has been strengthening cooperation with global companies such as OpenAI, Nvidia, and SoftBank to advance Korea into the global top three in AI. The Blue House expects that this meeting will serve as a catalyst to further accelerate policies for AI-based scientific and technological innovation and responsible AI utilization.

CEO Hassabis, the founder of Google DeepMind, oversaw the landmark 2016 Go match between AI and a human champion. The so-called "AlphaGo shock," in which AI defeated Lee Sedol, 9-dan, drew worldwide attention. In 2024, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on developing AlphaFold, an AI model for protein structure prediction.

During this meeting, both sides plan to share experiences and know-how gained from Google’s development of its own AI models, especially in relation to the Korean government’s ongoing efforts to select and foster independent AI foundation models. They also aim to promote cooperation in nurturing talent. In particular, they will examine how the AI achievements accumulated over the past decade have transformed into driving forces for scientific and technological innovation, and discuss ways to foster global cooperation in AI through meetings with leading figures from domestic companies who are actively building the AI ecosystem.

CEO Hassabis will also participate in the "Google for Korea 2026" event in Seoul on April 29, where he will hold a special talk with Lee Sedol, 9-dan, entitled "10 Years Since AlphaGo: The Vision of AI for Everyone." They will recall the 2016 match and share behind-the-scenes stories.

In addition, Hassabis will join AI experts in reflecting on the past ten years of AI, explore the future direction of AI in Korea and worldwide, and share opinions about the practical changes AI is bringing to areas such as robotics and education. A renowned expert in chess and Go, CEO Hassabis will also play a brief match with Shin Jinseo, 9-dan, to observe the changes in the Go world since the advent of AI.

Google Korea commented, "Marking a decade since the AlphaGo vs. Lee Sedol match, this is an opportunity to reflect on how AI technology is expanding beyond the realm of research into all aspects of industry and daily life."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.