From National Network to Talent Development, Five Pillars of the ''AI Great Transformation (AX)''
President Lee Jae-myung, who officially took office as the 21st President on June 4, presented a strong vision to make AI not just technological progress but the core foundation of national governance. His AI strategy simultaneously targets digital sovereignty, industrial competitiveness, and public service innovation, with a strong will to enter an era of technological sovereignty.
Five core strategies of the "AI Great Transformation (AX)": (1) Securing decisive technical superiority — AI semiconductor and large-scale AI intensive cultivation; securing 50,000 high-performance GPUs; AI data centers and data clusters; supporting Furiosa AI and Rebellions for national AI chip production; (2) AI for everyone — "AI for All" project applying AI to education, welfare, administration, employment; (3) Future talent development — full reform of AI education system from K-12 through vocational education; (4) Ethics and trust — strengthened AI ethics education, legislation, transparency of public algorithms; possibility of "AI Algorithm Supervisory Body" establishment; (5) Regional balanced development — AI specialized clusters in Daegu, Gwangju, Busan, Gangwon.
The Lee government plans to begin AI policy implementation from June 2025 in stages, officially reflecting it in the 2026 budget. Implementation will proceed through inter-ministerial cooperation including MSIT, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Interior. The possible establishment of an "AI Policy Secretary" (CAIO) within the Presidential Office and strengthening the National AI Committee's role is anticipated. Structural challenges include: public data opening and privacy concerns; risk of government-led large-scale AI model development suppressing market autonomy. Global comparison: US (private sector-led with defense R&D linkage), EU (ethics-first through AI Act), China (national-led large-scale AI development), Japan (AI services for aging society). The Lee government's strategy adopts a distinctive Korean model of public-private cooperation, regional balance, and talent-centered inclusive growth.
