The government has decided to introduce a system that consolidates and utilizes relevant data in one place to elevate the country to the position of “world’s No. 1 power” in the field of physical artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030. It will also push forward the development of core technologies required for the operation of physical AI. The Ministry of Science and ICT on the 1st unveiled the “Strategy for Securing Core Competitiveness in Physical AI,” which contains these measures.

The strategy focuses on four main pillars: △data △technology △diffusion △ecosystem. Physical AI requires both data on human movements in production sites and technologies that reproduce those movements with robots. Given the high share of manufacturing in Korea, the country has a correspondingly large volume of data that can be used for physical AI.

The government will first establish a “data acquisition system” and consolidate data scattered across different ministries under an integrated management framework. Companies are expected to be able to use this data freely. It will also directly pursue the development of physical AI technologies. Collecting, one by one, in the real world the data needed for physical AI is time-consuming. Technologies such as “world models,” which implement such data in virtual environments and enable learning there, are more efficient. This signals the government’s intention to take the lead in investing in the development of such technologies.

Spreading physical AI not only in the public sector but also across private industries is another key priority. Last year, the government conducted on-site research on manufacturing process automation technologies at about 10 factories in the Gyeongnam and Jeonbuk regions. It plans to steadily expand these efforts over the next five years so that physical AI can naturally take root in actual production sites. It will also improve legal and institutional frameworks to support technology development and increase investment support through vehicles such as the National Growth Fund.

Unlike language- and image-based AI such as ChatGPT, physical AI is still in an early stage with no clear leading country. The government has set a goal of securing the market ahead of the United States and China and becoming a future exporter of physical AI technologies. Bae Kyunghoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, said, “The government will provide full support so that the synergy between the private sector’s creative challenges and the government’s comprehensive backing enables the Republic of Korea to become a truly world-leading power that exports physical AI.”

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