“Sell the factory, not the robot”... Academics suggest a shift in Korea’s AI strategy

In order to secure sustainable competitiveness in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), it was suggested that Korea should move away from the goal of becoming a 'three major AI powerhouse' focused on global rankings and change its strategy to becoming a 'country with core AI elements' that takes advantage of industrial strengths such as semiconductors, robots, and manufacturing.

Rather than focusing on competing to develop super-large AI models, national resources should be focused on securing a balanced AI model, data, and computing capability and applying this to physical AI and manufacturing sites.

In particular, it was suggested that we should move beyond supplying individual robots or parts to becoming a ‘country that sells factories’ by exporting entire factories that combine AI, robots, and automation technologies.

According to the science and technology community on the 9th, the Korean Society of Artificial Intelligence made this suggestion in the report 'AI Transition (AX) Response and National Strategy Research for Growth and Inclusion' conducted as a policy research service for the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The report said that looking at the AX policies of major countries, they are designing strategies based on structural differences rather than size, and emphasized that Korea should also refer to these policies.

For example, the report explained that China's strategic axes are self-sufficiency in parts, the United States' preoccupation with base models, and Germany's system integration exports.

However, our government frequently sets the goal of securing the world's third-largest independent foundation model, and the report pointed out that although it is necessary to secure a certain level of capacity, the entire national strategy should not be tied to competition in size.

At the same time, he suggested that a more sustainable goal would be to have a balance of big models corresponding to the AI ​​brain, big data as AI learning material, and big computing as the energy that operates AI.

The point where these three elements combine is physical AI, and it matches Korea's strengths in semiconductors, sensors, robots, manufacturing, and industrial data, the report explained.

The report analyzed that Korea needs to focus on factory system integration that combines manufacturing information technology (IT), robots, automation equipment, and system integration (SI) capabilities.

Instead of competing based on the competitiveness of individual robots or parts, the entire factory should be viewed as a huge robot system and supplied, and there is a need to transition from a 'country that sells robots' to a 'country that sells factories.'

To this end, the report pointed out that it is necessary to expand basic infrastructure such as transmission networks and location regulations, and strengthen strategic capital deployment to build the Sovereign AI full stack.

In addition, it was suggested that the government should create an initial market through large-scale and long-term orders and reduce institutional uncertainty, such as pre-judgment using AI and guidelines for safe data use.

The report said, “The ultimate goal is to go beyond being a country that develops AI and become a country that uses AI most effectively,” and suggested that national goals should be reset to a structure that can secure a sustainable competitive advantage rather than a ranking.