on april 27, demis hassabis, ceo of google deepmind, visited south korea and met with president lee jae-myung. he subsequently signed a memorandum of understanding with south korea’s ministry of science and ict, marking the official launch of bilateral cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence.
kim yong-beom, director of the policy office at the blue house, stated that google will open a google ai campus in seoul within this year to expand collaboration with researchers and startups. hassabis also agreed to actively consider sending google researchers to south korea, initially with a team of at least 10 people.
the google ai campus will be aligned with the south korean government’s “k-moonshot” initiative, serving as a key hub for ai-related basic science and technology cooperation between google deepmind and south korea. “k-moonshot” is a nationwide program that integrates ai and science and technology to address major national challenges and accelerate innovation. its goals include doubling research productivity by 2030 and achieving 12 national missions across eight priority areas—such as biotechnology, future energy, and semiconductors—by 2035.
during the meeting between president lee jae-myung and hassabis, the two sides engaged in an in-depth discussion on the anticipated arrival of general artificial intelligence and its socio-economic implications. hassabis predicted that general ai capable of harnessing all human cognitive abilities could emerge within five years, possibly as early as 2030, and that the pace of societal change it would bring might far surpass that of the industrial revolution. in addition, both sides acknowledged that ai can serve as a tool for addressing challenges such as low growth, the climate crisis, and healthcare issues; however, they also recognized the risks associated with its potential misuse in warfare or its exacerbation of income inequality.
