Sam Altman, CEO of Microsoft-backed OpenAI and ChatGPT creator, speaks at a talk at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv.
SEOUL Reuters - Open AI Chief Executive Sam Altman is preparing to meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and about 100 local startups as the country looks to encourage domestic competitiveness in artificial intelligence.
After crisscrossing Europe last month, Altman has travelled to Israel, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, India and South Korea - all this week.
South Korea is one of few nations that has built its own artificial intelligence foundation model in a field that is dominated by the United States and China, thanks to local tech firms like Naver, Kakao, and LG.
The firms are seeking to tap markets that have not yet been addressed by big tech in the U.S. or China.
Naver said it has been eager to develop local AI applications for countries with political sensitivities in the Middle East and for non-English speaking countries, including Spain and Mexico, the Financial Times reported in May.
The rapid progress and popularity of generative AI, fueled by Microsoft Corp.'s OpenAI initiative ChatGPT last year, has motivated lawmakers globally to establish laws to address safety concerns related to the technology, leading to the rapid development and popularity of generative AI.
The European Union is progressing with its AI Act, which is expected to become law later this year, while the United States is focused on adapting existing laws for AI rather than creating whole new legislation.
The new AI regulation in South Korea is awaiting full parliament approval, which is seen as less restricting than the EU's version.
In February, a parliament committee passed an AI law that safeguards the right to release AI products and services, and will only restrict them if regulators consider any product to be harming people's lives, safety, and rights.
In April, South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT published plans to foster local AI development, including measures to provide datasets for training hyperscale AI, while continuing discussions in AI ethics and regulations.