[Courtesy of Google DeepMind]
South Korea envisioned an artificial intelligence industry Thursday as one of its new growth engines, promising to inject one trillion won (833 million US dollars) by 2020 in the segment, which gained overwhelming attention through a landmark tournament between Google's program and Go master Lee Sedol.
The Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning said the government would support the establishment of a civilian artificial intelligence (AI) research center with funds shared by six firms -- Samsung, LG, SK Telecom, KT, Naver and Hyundai Motor.
The ministry said a one-trillion-won state fund would be spent on the AI industry over five years to accelerate research and development, while the civilian sector will be required to invest a total of 2.5 trillion won in AI.
SK Telecom has invested aggressively in AI, incorporating the technology into its smart home services. The company is under negotiations with Apple and Google to jointly develop an AI platform.
Public interest in AI surged after AlphaGo, developed by Google's AI team DeepMind, scored a 4-1 victory against Lee, one of the world's best players, in a showdown in Seoul.
"Ironically, the AlphaGo shock ... enhanced public awareness and consensus in our society about the importance of developing artificial intelligence," President Park Geun-hye said, chairing a technology-related meeting. "We are witnessing the beginning of the fourth industrial revolution which will bring a dramatic change to our lifestyle."
Market researchers predicted that global AI market, estimated at $127 billion this year, would rise to $165 billion in 2017.
Scientists say AI still has a long way to go before it can truly match the ingenuity of the human mind. But AlphaGo's overwhelming victory over Lee shocked the world. AlphaGo's creators say their aim is to develop technology that can be implemented in health care, smartphone technology, and robotics.
Aju News Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
