The victory of Google’s computer program AlphaGo over Korean Go master Lee Se-dol in the recent “match of the century” came as a shock to many Koreans, whether they were fans of the classic board game or not.
Before the match, Lee was expected to win the best-of-five match without difficulty. The gifted Go master himself was confident of a 5-0 victory.
But the artificial intelligence program, armed with its powerful self-learning ability, proved to be much stronger than expected. Lee, who represented humans in the showdown with the robot, barely avoided a shutout by winning the fourth game in the series.
AlphaGo’s triumph stoked fears among many Koreans that it would not be long before AI would replace humans in many intellectual jobs. Some even feared that AI would one day pose an existential threat to humanity.
These fears appear to be overblown. Humans can determine how technology is used. Instead of worrying too much about the threats AI may pose, Korea needs a reality check.
The Go match helped the public as well as policymakers awaken to the wide technology gap between Korea and advanced countries in AI, one of the key emerging technologies that would drive forward the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Korea prides itself on being a world leader in information technology. But in AI, it lags far behind advanced countries. A 2015 report by the state-run Institute for Information and Communication Technology Promotion found that Korea was two years behind the United States in AI.
The report put Korea’s AI technology level at 75 points against the 100 of the U.S., the world leader in this field. Korea was way behind the average 89.9 for European countries and 89.3 of Japan.
AI matters because it will spearhead the convergence of future information and communication technologies. If Korea wants to remain a powerhouse in information technology, it should develop AI capabilities.
The versatile technology is already used extensively in manufacturing fields, such as self-driving cars, autonomous robots and smart factories, and in service sectors, including health care, education and financial services.
Aware of AI’s importance, the Korean government launched the “Exobrain” project in 2013, a 10-year program aimed at developing AI software that is capable of developing its own programs with self-improving code.
But the size and scope of state investment in AI can hardly be seen as sufficient. This is also true of private investment in AI. In this regard, it is encouraging that the government and six major Korean corporations, including Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics and Hyundai Motor, are pushing to set up a joint research center to overtake advanced countries. Korea cannot afford to fall behind other countries in this important field.
