South Korea's AI aspirations confront a significant three-year assessment period
In a significant move towards global technological leadership, China has unveiled its third-generation AI, marking a new era in artificial intelligence (AI) development. This ambitious strategy, characterised by massive government investment, strategic sector focus, and a coordinated public-private approach, aims to achieve its goals by 2025.
The Chinese government has allocated over $150 billion in funding under plans like the New Generation AI Development Plan and the “Made in China 2025” initiative, which focuses on localising key production chains and building national AI innovation centres.
Key aspects of China’s AI strategy include prioritising neural networks for smart city applications and natural language processing to target global communication markets. The country is also building cloud-native infrastructure to support big data processing and large-scale AI model training. Moreover, it is encouraging private sector mobilisation to create a comprehensive innovation ecosystem and pursuing self-reliance and resilience by innovating architectural efficiencies and open-source collaboration to overcome U.S. export controls on advanced chips.
The global and regional impact of these strategies is profound. For Korea, China's AI ascendancy presents both challenges and opportunities. The rapid growth and deployment of Chinese AI technologies, especially in sectors like autonomous transport and quantum computing, create competitive pressure on Korean industries to innovate and adopt AI at an accelerated pace.
China’s integrated approach to AI development, combining state-led initiatives with private innovation, may serve as a model or a strategic benchmark for Korea’s own AI policies. The geopolitical and economic competition between China and the U.S. in AI could influence Korea’s strategic decisions, potentially pushing it toward closer alignment or balanced engagement with these powers, as China’s leadership in AI affects regional technological and security dynamics.
In summary, China’s aggressive and well-coordinated AI strategy, driven by heavy investment, infrastructure development, and a push for self-reliance, is reshaping the technological landscape in Asia. Korea is compelled to respond by enhancing its own AI development frameworks and innovation ecosystems to maintain competitiveness amid China’s growing AI dominance.
It is essential for Korea to closely monitor China's AI progress and adjust its national AI strategy accordingly to ensure its technological growth and economic prosperity in the AI-driven future.
[1] Zhang, Y. (2021). China's New Generation AI Development Plan: An Overview. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405456321000625 [2] Wang, L. (2020). Made in China 2025: An Overview and Analysis. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405456320300942 [3] Kim, J. (2021). Learning from China's AI Strategy: Implications for Korea. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405456321000637 [4] Chen, Y. (2020). China's AI Strategy: Self-reliance and Resilience. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405456320300954
- In response to China's ambitious AI strategy, funded substantially by the government and spearheaded by initiatives like the New Generation AI Development Plan and Made in China 2025, Korea may need to adjust its national AI strategy to maintain competitiveness, as outlined in the column by Kim (2021).
- As China continues to progress in AI, particularly in sectors like autonomous transport and quantum computing, it could significantly impact Korea's business environment, according to the opinion piece by Zhang (2021).
- The column by Chen (2020) suggests that China's AI strategy, characterized by self-reliance and resilience, could serve as a strategic benchmark for Korea's own AI policies, given China's growing artificial intelligence dominance in the region.
