The Ministry of Science and ICT hosted an industry-academia-research meeting on Physical AI, where participants emphasized the importance of building an integrated data platform for Physical AI as the era of Physical Artificial Intelligence (AI) is beginning. The call to action stems from the need to secure high-quality simulation data for training Physical AI.
Yoo Tae-jun, CEO of MAUM AI, highlighted at the meeting held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul the critical importance of acquiring a significant amount of high-quality data for fostering Physical AI. He proposed the creation of a simulator platform to establish physical data and presented comprehensive support plans necessary for the development and demonstration of Physical AI.
Physical AI, as defined during the meeting, refers to AI systems that interact with the physical world and can actively operate at actual sites alongside humans, such as humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles. For Physical AI to learn effectively, it requires a simulator platform, similar to how large language models (LLMs) learn from text data. The consolidation of high-quality data poses a challenge that companies cannot address individually, hence necessitating a unified platform.
Yoo further recommended constructing an integrated data center for Physical AI, securing 100,000 hours’ worth of robotic behavior data, and tying these efforts to national AI development projects to standardize the data. He highlighted the significance of this moment as a golden opportunity for South Korea to become a first mover in the Physical AI era, asserting that this technology is the ultimate facet of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and that relevant data will be vital for national competitiveness.
Ryu Je-myung, the Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, noted that Physical AI has the potential to revolutionize various sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, healthcare, and defense, highlighting its role as a next-generation general-purpose AI technology essential for the nation to rise as a leading AI power. Collaborative efforts among related ministries and ecosystems are crucial to establishing a new world with Physical AI, as per his statement.
The Science and ICT Ministry’s meeting aims to secure technological competitiveness in the domestic Physical AI sector and discuss support plans across the industry, academia, and research fields. The Ministry has also secured 42.6 billion won through an additional government budget to demonstrate core Physical AI technologies.
The meeting concluded with a surprise appearance by Jeong Dong-young, the Minister of Unification, who is also a sitting member of the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee. He played a pivotal role in increasing the budget allocation for Physical AI in the recent additional budget. Minister Jeong stressed the strategic importance of AI, particularly Physical AI, to the success of the current administration, encouraging stakeholders to contribute globally so that South Korea can join the ranks of leading AI nations.