During a meeting with South Korean AI companies, Vice Minister Baek Kyung-hoon of the Ministry of Science and ICT stressed the necessity for Korea to foster globally competitive AI firms and create a strong domestic AI ecosystem through focused investment. He asserted that making foundational AI models that do not reach a world-class standard is pointless and that the performance of these models must be improved. The Vice Minister described the next two to three years as a critical period for AI development; he believes that this timeframe will determine which countries will lead in AI technology.

Baek's comments came during a gathering with executives from four participating companies in the ongoing Independent Foundation Model Project ('Indopamo')—LG AI Research, Upstage, SK Telecom, and Motif Technologies—along with industry leaders from Naver, Kakao, and NC AI. He highlighted the importance of creating a comprehensive national AI portfolio that aligns the strengths of various companies in different sectors. He urged both the government and businesses to collaborate and tailor their approaches towards building a viable AI ecosystem.

Additionally, the Vice Minister provided insights into the emerging domain of physical AI, which pertains to AI applications in real-world settings like factories. He expressed optimism that significant advancements could be seen by next year, as data collection and model development continue. Addressing the individuality controversy surrounding the project, he underscored that emphasis should be on enhancing the competency of technology rather than solely focusing on the uniqueness of technological models, advocating for the production of globally competitive AI models that are practical and widely usable.