Signal Korea pursues 'AI for All' strategy targeting one AI agent per citizen

Summary

South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT is pursuing an AI for All strategy built on a sovereign AI foundation model, intended to let every citizen access AI services regardless of ability to pay. The strategy's ultimate goal is described as providing one AI agent per citizen. A free public AI chatbot with no usage limits is set to launch as a beta in late September. The government plans to support companies with 512 high-performance GPUs this year, and from 2027 it intends to fund the nationwide service through the national budget. The initiative is framed as tackling the digital divide by guaranteeing broad access to AI infrastructure that does not depend solely on the market.