Korean firms to unveil AI service developed under gov't project: sources

Three consortia led by Korean tech companies will unveil their artificial intelligence (AI) services developed under a government-led project within this month to provide all citizens with access to AI, government and industry sources said Thursday. The three teams — led by SK Telecom, KT and Kakao, respectively — are set to launch a closed beta version of their AI services sometime in October, the sources added. The government's "AI for All" project unveiled in July came amid efforts to lower Korea's dependence on foreign AI models and boost the domestic AI sector. Developers are required to use domestic AI models for at least 50 percent of the offered AI services, with government funding and graphic processing unit (GPU) support. Developers have set a monthly active user target of 5 million for their envisioned services, with Kakao vowing to expand the figure to 10 million by 2027 and 30 million by 2030. Korea plans to inject an additional 250 billion won ($184.37 million), starting next year, to further advance the services, which include costs to secure some 2,000 GPUs. According