The world is fiercely competing in artificial intelligence (AI) technology acquisition, with investments concentrated to the point of being called AI omnipotence. Competition to utilize AI in various fields, such as education and business, is intense. Countries and companies are pouring massive budgets and devising strategies to become the winner in this AI hegemony race.
The core of AI technology competition can be largely divided into two categories. First, there's the production capacity of hardware essential for AI computation, such as CPUs and GPUs. Global companies like TSMC of Taiwan, ASML of the Netherlands, and Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix of Korea are fiercely competing in this field. Second, there are Large Language Models (LLMs), which serve as the brain of AI. LLMs are the core software that determines AI performance, and whoever develops and utilizes LLMs more efficiently becomes a crucial variable in the AI race.
However, the reality in Korea is somewhat concerning. Currently, the LLM market, considered the darling of the AI industry, is dominated by overseas companies like OpenAI and Google of the United States. Although Korean companies are also jumping into LLM development, they are still at a modest level. What's even more unfortunate is that LLMs developed domestically are not receiving attention from the media and academia.
Looking back, the background to Korea's growth as an export powerhouse includes a social atmosphere of "patronizing domestic products." Thanks to the effort to use domestic products, even if they were lacking, Korea has been able to develop into one of the world's top 7 trading nations. The same goes for the AI field. Even if Korean LLMs are inferior to overseas LLMs, they should be actively used and developed. This effort will serve as a driving force for AI technology independence and will become a stepping stone for transforming into a true "AI Korea."
In the era of AI hegemony competition, Korea needs not only active investment and support from the government and companies, but also national interest and support for domestic AI technology. If we do not turn a blind eye to Korean LLMs and continue to develop them, Korea will soon be able to leap forward as an AI powerhouse.
You can find the Korean version of this article here.
