Korea lags rivals in AI development race

By Lee Min-hyung

South Korea has a long way to go before gaining competitiveness in artificial intelligence (AI).

Following the Google-developed supercomputer AlphaGo’s victory against human go champion Lee Se-dol a year ago, calls have grown for the government to spearhead local AI development by drawing up specific investment blueprints for the industry.

In October, the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP) established the AI Research Institute (AIRI) by teaming up with seven Seoul-based IT giants — including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Naver.

The MSIP also said Wednesday that it will spend some 163 billion won ($142 million) on AI research and development (R&D) this year, up 47.4 percent from the previous year.

Despite slow progress in AI, analysts said the government, companies and universities should put greater efforts and resources into the sector as the industry takes years to generate tangible outcomes.

“It will take more time for Korea to become one of the world’s most influential countries in AI, due to weak manpower in the industry,” said Yu Hwan-jo, a professor of big data at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH).

The short supply of AI human resources is attributable to students’ reluctance to study computer-related majors at universities, with negative perceptions and poor compensation within the industry driving down their motivation to learn those emerging tech areas, according to the expert.

“Doctoral degree students with AI-related majors in Korea choose to work at global IT giants — such as Google and Apple — rather than staying here to work for local firms,” he said. “This is because they know they are not compensated properly in Korea.”

But he also expressed optimism for the AI growth potential here.

“About five years ago, AI-related majors were least-preferred among students,” he said. “But with AI taking more concrete shape in recent years, people are slowly changing their perceptions of computer science and other emerging technologies, which include AI, big data and machine learning.”

Industry-wise, only a handful of firms here including Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom and Naver are making inroads into the AI industry.

Samsung Electronics last year acquired Viv Labs, an AI firm based in the United States, to jump on the AI bandwagon by taking advantage of the latter’s expertise in machine learning and natural language learning technology.

The firm plans to equip its upcoming flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S8, with a voice assistant called Bixby.

SK Telecom, the nation’s largest mobile carrier, is seeking to raise its AI profile by launching four AI-converged robots at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. They include its voice recognition assistant, Nugu, and Social Bot that can recognize a user’s voice and hand movements.

“Growing numbers of Korean firms are recruiting students who studied AI at university, but the supply still falls short of demand,” said the professor. “This means there is enough room for growth in the industry, as this is a clear sign that the government and the industry are firmly on the path to embrace the industry.”