- MSIT jointly held a launch ceremony for the “AI Growth Ladder for All Project” on August 3rd at the National Gwangju Science Museum.

- The project aims to establish a virtuous cycle from AI learning (AI Learning Center for All) to development and demonstration (AI Testbed for All and AI Lounge for All), and youth entrepreneurship, ultimately strengthening citizens’ ability to use AI.

【Relevant National Task】

21. Becoming the world’s most AI-literate country

The Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister: Bae Kyung-hoon) held a launch ceremony for the “AI Growth Ladder for All Project,” an initiative aiming to improve citizens’ ability to use AI and to establish an AI innovation ecosystem, on August 3rd at the National Gwangju Science Museum and announced the official launch of the integrated AI Learning Center for All, AI Testbed for All, and AI Lounge for All.

The launch ceremony was attended by Bae Kyung-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of MSIT; Jeong Jun-ho, Lim Moon-young, and Cho In-cheul, members of the National Assembly representing Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City; Ko Gwang-wan, Vice Mayor for Public Safety and Livelihood of Jeonnam-Gwangju Special Metropolitan City; Kim Hyung Chul, President of the National Information Society Agency (NIA); Jung Woo-sung, President of the Korea Foundation for Science and Creativity (KOSAC); representatives from AI Learning Center for All, AI Testbed for All, and AI Lounge for All; and local students and young people. They celebrated the launch of the integrated platform and toured the educational facilities.

The AI Growth Ladder for All Project is part of the “AI for All in Daily Life” policy. In line with the recommendations of Korea’s AI Action Plan, the project is designed to link AI education, development and demonstration infrastructures that had been separately operated, and build a step-by-step growth framework of “learning, developing, and scaling up.”

The project, which aims to improve citizens’ ability to use AI, is expected to 1) create an online AI learning environment that integrates public and private AI education content in one setting, 2) turn innovative ideas from the field into AI services and startups, going beyond simple education while encouraging hands-on practice and development, and 3) expand demonstration hubs nationwide that use AI to solve regional issues, thereby accelerating the use of AI in daily lives.

1) AI Learning Center for All: One-stop Access to AI Education

The AI Learning Center for All is an online AI education portal that links and provides public and private AI education content. It is available to anyone including elementary, middle, and high school students, university students, youth, and the general public. Using a generative AI-based chatbot search function, it recommends education programs tailored to users’ interests and levels and connects them to relevant services.

Currently, the AI Learning Center for All is linked with education platforms operated by the government such as EBS Software Learning Platform (ESOF), SchoolAI, K-MOOC, STEP, AI Digital Learning Center, and the Small Business Owners’ Knowledge Learning Center, enabling anyone to easily receive education online. The portal also provides information on participatory offerings such as in-person training sessions, exhibitions, events, and competitions related to AI.

From August, the portal will gradually expand its scope to include private education platforms as well. It will introduce a login and member management system to strengthen personalized services such as learning history tracking and tailored curation, so that people can easily find and use the AI education content they want.

2) AI Testbed for All: Turning Knowledge into Actual AI Services

The AI Testbed for All is an online platform where anyone with an idea can develop AI services without cost or technical barriers. It is a one-stop platform that supports the entire development cycle from proposing ideas and providing development infrastructure to sharing outcomes and connecting them to commercialization and startup opportunities.

The AI Testbed for All provides users with a vibe coding environment based on natural language, tokens for generative AI model subscriptions, private cloud services, and AI development support tools. In addition, it offers 99,000 public and private datasets and 13,000 application programming interfaces (APIs) which are essential for service development. It also offers development consulting services through a technical support center.

The project will also progressively launch the “AI Idea Community,” a space for freely proposing and discussing ideas, and the “AI Showcase Board,” where people can share their development outcomes and exchange feedback, in order to form a participatory development ecosystem.

3) AI Lounge for All: A Regional AI Innovation Hub

The AI Lounge for All, an offline hub where people can create AI services in person and apply and demonstrate them in real-world settings, will begin full-scale operation.

The AI Lounge for All is scheduled to be established in five regions (the metropolitan area, Gangwon, Chungcheong, Gyeongsang, and Jeolla-Jeju) in 2026. There, “AI Sherpas,” or AI experts, will provide hands-on coaching so that even beginners can easily develop AI services. In addition, the lounge will serve as a venue where local residents and experts work together to identify pressing issues in the region, while also receiving AI coaching and field-based demonstration support.

※ The Status of AI Lounges for All by Region: 1) The Metropolitan Area: Regional Media Centers (in Gimpo, Goyang, Seongnam, Hwaseong, and Anseong), 2) Gangwon: Gangneung Metaverse Experience Center, 3) Chungcheong: INNOSTAR (former Dreaming Railway Zone, Cheonan), 4) Gyeongsang: Daegu Technopark Sports Industry Support Center, Beomeo Library, Masan University, and MakerSpace Seomyeon, and 5) Jeolla-Jeju: National Gwangju Science Museum

Meanwhile, the project plans to actively support outstanding development teams identified through the AI Testbed for All and AI Lounge for All by providing close support for early-stage startup consulting covering legal, marketing, and technical matters as well as commercialization, thereby ensuring that excellent ideas lead to youth entrepreneurship.

At the National Gwangju Science Museum (the AI Lounge for All for the Jeolla and Jeju regions), where the opening ceremony was held, key attendees watched a video introducing the “AI Growth Ladder for All: From Learning to Service Creation” and, while touring the AI Lounge for All, encouraged local youth who are participating in AI education and hands-on training.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bae said, “As we enter an era of major transformation in which AI is changing all aspects of life, the ability to use AI has become a ‘new basic competency’ that every citizen must possess and is central to national competitiveness.” He added, “Through the ‘AI Growth Ladder for All,’ which is taking its first steps today, we will firmly establish a virtuous cycle that leads from learning to development, field validation, and the creation of new value.”

He went on to say, “We will meticulously lay the groundwork for ‘AI for All’ to ensure that the benefits of AI reach every citizen, not just specific social classes or regions.”

Detailed information can be found on the AI Learning Center for All (ailearn4all.kr) and AI Testbed for All (aitestbed.kr) websites, and is easily accessible through major portals such as Naver and Daum.

For further information, please contact the Public Relations Division (Phone: +82-44-202-4034, E-mail: msitmedia@korea.kr) of the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Please refer to the attached PDF.