How South Korea Plans To Best OpenAI And Google With AI

How South Korea Plans To Best OpenAI And Google With AI

From global giants to nimble startups, South Korea is making bold moves in artificial intelligence. At the heart of this push is a strategy to build sovereign AI that rivals OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic—models tailored to its language, culture, and national interests. Image Credits:Anton Balazh/Shutterstock Last month, Seoul unveiled its most ambitious AI initiative yet, pledging ₩530 billion (about $390 million) to support five local companies in developing large-scale foundational models. The effort highlights South Korea’s determination to reduce reliance on foreign AI, strengthen security, and maintain tighter control over its own data. The Five Players Chosen To Compete The Ministry of Science and ICT selected five organizations to lead this sovereign AI charge: LG AI Research SK Telecom Naver Cloud NC AI Upstage (startup) Every six months, their progress will be reviewed. Underperformers risk being cut, while frontrunners will receive continued funding until only two remain to carry Sout…