By Reporter Kayla lee
President Yoon Suk-yeol received Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, at the Yongsan Presidential Office on June 9. OpenAI is a U.S. company that developed 'ChatGPT', which has become a global concern.
President Yoon and CEO Altman spoke for about an hour about the direction of AI development, possible risks and solutions, cooperation between OpenAI and Korean startups, and international norms.
Noting that there is a ChatGPT craze all over the world, President Yoon said, "As a test, I asked ChatGPT questions while writing my New Year's speech, and the results were quite plausible."
In response, CEO Altman said, "Thank you for your kind words," and added, "Korea is not only one of the most popular countries in the world for ChatGPT, but also a country that has the technology base for ChatGPT to develop.“
Altman also emphasized that "Korea's AI startups are fully equipped with the competitiveness to play on the international stage." "Korea already has many assets that AI can develop, such as semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, and Korean startups are proving their competitiveness on the global stage." Mr. Altman also added, "OpenAI will do its best to support Korean startups.“
Lee Young, Minister of SMEs and Startups, who was in attendance, reported to President Yoon that he and OpenAI discussed bilateral "collaboration projects," including mentoring and incubation cooperation between global companies and Korean startups, technology exchange, and cooperation with system semiconductor startups.
The president asked, "What are the areas where Korea and other countries can utilize and develop ChatGPT technology in the future, and what are the necessary conditions?" Greg Brockman, who is co-founder of OpenAI, predicted that it will be used in all fields of human activity, and replied, "This requires the development of hardware such as semiconductors, software that can provide services to individuals, and the complement of the government's legal system."
When the president asked, "Since one country cannot do everything, it is necessary to focus on certain areas, what do you think Korea should focus on?" Altman replied, "The semiconductor field." Sam Altman explained, "In the AI era, not only memory semiconductors but also non-memory semiconductors will be needed, and the demand for memory semiconductors will significantly increase due to the enormous amount of data."
He also added, "OpenAI currently uses a lot of Taiwanese semiconductors, but even if Taiwan continues to supply semiconductors, there is a need for Korean semiconductors to meet the demand, which is why many countries eagerly desire cooperation with Korea."
In addition, the President said, "The pace of technology development is so fast that international norms to prevent adverse effects related to ChatGPT should be prepared at the same pace," to which Altman agreed, saying, "It is important to prepare norms to reduce risks in society and ensure individual interests, and I hope Korea will play a leading role.“
When asked by the President what message he would like to send to Korean companies and Koreans, Altman suggested three things: "First, increase production capacity of system semiconductors to enable AI; second, build an AI ecosystem by removing restrictions on business activities; and third, take a leading role in shaping international norms.“
After the meeting, the President and Altman posed for a photo in front of the "The buck stops here" plaque presented to President Yoon by President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile, CTO Greg Brockman is married to Anna, a Korean woman in the same age as him, and she joined him as an assistant to the CEO, and the couple took a photo with President Yoon. Brockman is also a black belt in taekwondo, which led to a comment during the conversation that he must be a son-in-law of a Korean.
