- First Steering Committee meeting convened on Sept. 11, three days after launch, discussing key priorities including the Korea AI Action Plan and management of KRW 10.1 trillion in AI budget for 2026

- Initial formation of eight subcommittees completed on Sept. 16, with 85 private-sector members appointed, including 52 new members in addition to the 34 appointed at launch

- On Sept. 16, Vice Chair Im Moon-young held the Committee’s first international engagement, meeting with AI pioneer Prof. Yoshua Bengio, who agreed to advise Korea’s AI policy and explore collaboration on establishing a Mila AI for Robotics Hub in Korea

The National AI Strategy Committee (Chair: President Lee Jae Myung; hereafter “the Committee”) announced that, following its official launch on September 8—just four days after the Presidential Decree on its Establishment and Operation came into effect on September 4—it has been swiftly moving forward with follow-up measures.

On September 11, only three days after launch, the Committee held its first Steering Committee meeting at 7:30 a.m. The Steering Committee, chaired by the standing Vice Chair and composed of subcommittee chairs, the secretary, and the head of the support unit, oversees efficient operations and coordination of the Committee’s work. Discussions at the meeting focused on:

 Plans for the Korea AI Action Plan;

 Management of the 2026 AI budget of KRW 10.1 trillion across all ministries.

Additional items reviewed included support mechanisms for the Committee, major ministry-level AI agendas for the second half of 2025, online collaboration tools, and general operational matters.

The Committee decided to finalize subcommittee-specific task lists for the AI Action Plan by October and complete the comprehensive Korea AI Action Plan, covering all ministry-level tasks, by November. It also agreed, through consultations with relevant ministries, to thoroughly plan the already-confirmed 2026 government AI budget of KRW 10.1 trillion before next year’s official program announcements, while strengthening its linkages with the Korean AI Action Plan.

By September 16, just one week after its launch, the Committee completed the initial formation of its eight subcommittees. Alongside the 33 private members appointed at launch, 52 new members were added, bringing total membership to 85—about 10 per subcommittee. The Committee plans to expand membership further as needed, up to 15 per subcommittee, as its work progresses.

In parallel, the Committee will also launch an open Advisory Group, enabling AI experts nationwide to contribute to national policymaking without having to be formal Committee members.

Also on September 16, Vice Chair Im Moon-young held the Committee’s first international engagement, meeting with world-renowned AI scholar Prof. Yoshua Bengio of the University of Montreal. Prof. Bengio, who founded Mila in 1993 out of the university’s LISA lab, has grown it into one of the world’s largest AI research institutes with around 1,200 researchers. He is also recognized as one of the four pioneers of deep learning, alongside Geoffrey Hinton, Yann LeCun, and Andrew Ng. The 90-minute meeting at the Committee’s support unit office (Seoul Square) covered:

 Directions for the Korea AI Action Plan;

 Korea–Canada cooperation in AI and robotics research;

 Broader international collaboration in AI.

Vice Chair Im invited Prof. Bengio to join a planned Global Advisory Group that will support Korea’s goal of becoming one of the world’s top three AI powers and contribute to shaping global AI norms. Prof. Bengio agreed to participate.

Mila representatives also expressed interest in establishing a Mila AI for Robotics Hub in Korea, highlighting the country’s strong manufacturing base and growth potential in AI and robotics. In response to a question about whether such a hub could attract Canadian AI talent, they noted that both students and professors in Canada would be eager to engage and collaborate in Korea. Vice Chair Im pledged full government support—including visa facilitation in coordination with relevant ministries—to help realize the hub.

The Committee plans to convene the Council of Chief AI Officers at the earliest opportunity. The Council will be chaired by the Senior Presidential Secretary for AI Future Planning, with the head of the Committee’s support unit serving as secretary, and will comprise vice-ministerial–level Chief AI officers from each ministry. It will coordinate policies across ministries, align AI policy agendas, and monitor and evaluate policy implementation.

Vice Chair Im Moon-young stated,

“We have acted swiftly to establish the Committee’s basic framework, including the formation of subcommittees, and today we took an important first step toward global cooperation. We will spare no effort to meet the expectations placed on this Committee by the nation and its people, and to accelerate Korea’s advance into the ranks of the world’s top three AI powers.”

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.