As artificial intelligence (AI) expands into manufacturing, defense, and security sectors, the government is seeking policy measures to develop these areas as core components of a strategic economy.
The Ministry of Economy and the Private AI Initiative at Seoul National University co-hosted a seminar titled 'Defense + Manufacturing + Security in the AI Era' on September 7 at 2:30 PM in the Sangsan Mathematics Hall auditorium. The seminar aimed to discuss the necessary competitiveness and policy directions for applying AI technology in industry, defense, and security.
Min Kyung-seol, head of the Ministry's Innovation Growth Office, noted in his opening remarks that the integration of advanced technology in manufacturing, defense, and security is providing new opportunities for the economy.
He stated, 'Our defense industry is poised to become a next-generation strategic export industry through excellent manufacturing capabilities and the adoption of AI, while cybersecurity is leading the field based on world-class homomorphic encryption technology.'
He emphasized, 'The government will do its utmost to support the challenges and efforts in manufacturing, defense, and security as a pillar of our strategic economy.'
Park Young-sun, chair of the Strategic Economy Advisory Group, assessed that AI has progressed beyond merely generating information to actively influencing real-world industries, defense, and security.
In her opening address, she remarked, 'We have entered the second act of AI, where it not only generates answers on screens but also operates machines in factories, aids decision-making on battlefields, detects threats in cyberspace, and protects critical national infrastructure.'
Park added, 'Defense, manufacturing, and security form a single ecosystem, and who connects AI to real-world industries and defense more quickly and safely will determine the future of the nation.'
Co-host Kim Joo-han, Vice President for Research at Seoul National University, stressed the importance of securing not only data and field application capabilities but also safety and trust in technology to enhance AI competitiveness.
He stated, 'The ability to secure high-quality data and apply it in the field while maintaining safety and trust throughout the process will determine the AI competitiveness of the nation and industry. I hope today's discussions lead to concrete cooperation that connects the practical needs of defense, the capabilities of South Korea's manufacturing sector, and trust technologies that ensure security and privacy.'
During the subsequent breakout sessions, six experts from the defense, manufacturing, and security sectors shared their field experiences and proposed policy tasks to enhance competitiveness.
The Ministry of Economy plans to continuously identify strategic economic policy tasks, including those related to defense, manufacturing, and security, based on the discussions held during the seminar.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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