South Korea to Launch at Least Two Homegrown ChatGPT-Style Services

South Korea will select two or three private companies to launch general-purpose chatbot services using domestic artificial intelligence models by year-end. The Ministry of Science and ICT said at a project briefing on July 21 that it will unveil a general AI chatbot and a public AI agent by the end of December.

The government will provide the selected companies with 512 Nvidia B200-class graphics processing units secured this year. If two companies are chosen, each will receive 256 GPUs. If three are selected, the hardware will be split 256, 128 and 128 based on the evaluation results. The selected companies are set to begin beta services in September and formally launch them to the public before year-end.

The general-purpose chatbot is a generative AI service for everyday questions and document drafting, similar to ChatGPT and Gemini. The public AI agent is intended to go beyond simple guidance on government policies by recommending public services users can access, checking eligibility and helping them complete applications. The government also plans to connect the service with public systems including Government24, public MyData, and simple and joint digital authentication services. Required functions for both the general chatbot and the public AI agent will be offered free of charge, while advanced features may be paid.

Kong Jin-ho, director of AI policy planning at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said the government's top priority is to choose companies best able to provide services that all citizens can use through Korean AI. The aim, he added, is to help people move beyond simply consuming AI and create added value through AI agents.

Lee Young-ae, Hankyung.com reporter 0ae@hankyung.com