What is the purpose of technology? Can the value of technology be proven solely by developing the world's first innovations and making the seemingly impossible possible? As artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, semiconductors, and biotechnology open new horizons for human civilization, we must revisit this fundamental question. A new era has arrived, one that asks not just about the excellence of technology but also its purpose and mission.
The recent demonstration of Tesla's next-generation Roadster symbolically highlights this issue. The sight of a car moving along walls, spinning in mid-air, and leaping over other vehicles is astonishing. Such a spectacle is unimaginable without advanced propulsion, control, and balance technologies. However, once the applause fades, one question remains: What is this technology for?
If cars could fly to alleviate traffic congestion, quickly transport emergency patients, and expand mobility in remote areas, their purpose would be clear. If autonomous driving technology reduces traffic accidents and assists the elderly and disabled in moving freely, that too would be a transformative innovation for humanity. But what social problems does the technology that allows cars to perform aerial flips and leap over other vehicles solve?
Of course, the technologies accumulated during the demonstration could be utilized in the future to enhance safety and driving performance. We must not deny the value of basic research and experimentation. The issue lies in mistaking the technical possibilities themselves as the ultimate achievement. While a dazzling demonstration may mark the starting point of technology, it cannot replace the reason for its existence. Technology must prove its value in real-life situations, not just in shows.
Tesla's stock movements cannot be explained solely by this demonstration. Stock prices fluctuate based on a complex interplay of factors, including performance, profitability, competitive environment, and future growth potential. However, it is clear that investors distinguish between technological marvels and sustainable business value. No matter how impressive the technology, if it fails to solve customer problems and create economic and social value, it is unlikely to be regarded as sustainable innovation.
Now, South Korea must fundamentally change its perspective on technology.
First, national research and development (R&D) policies should shift from securing technology to solving national challenges. Until now, we have focused on metrics such as being the first in the world, having the best patents, publishing papers, and achieving technological maturity as key performance indicators. While these metrics are necessary, they are not sufficient. In the future, we must also evaluate how much the developed technology has improved the lives of citizens, solved problems in industrial settings, and reduced social costs. We need to redesign research and development goals around national challenges such as low birth rates, aging populations, regional extinction, climate crises, energy shortages, and industrial accidents.
Second, corporate technology strategies must shift from a supplier-centric approach to a problem-solving focus. Before asking what can be made with existing technologies, companies should inquire about what customers and society need. While technology can create markets, ignoring the demands of the market and society often leads to results that remain confined to the laboratory. A company's competitiveness depends more on how well it connects its technologies to actual products, services, productivity, and quality of life than on the sheer quantity of technologies it possesses.
Third, the direction of AI and physical AI development must be clarified. While it is impressive to see robots dancing and flipping like humans, what South Korea urgently needs are robots that protect workers in hazardous industrial environments, care for the elderly, and address labor shortages in agriculture. Physical AI that innovates manufacturing, healthcare, caregiving, agriculture, and logistics should be our strategic focus. The ability to solve real-world problems, rather than the spectacle of technology demonstrations, should be the benchmark for competitiveness.
Fourth, purpose-driven innovation should also be applied to the semiconductor, energy, and biotechnology industries. The goal of becoming a semiconductor powerhouse should not be limited to producing faster and more chips. We should aim for AI semiconductors that perform more calculations with less power, power semiconductors that enhance energy efficiency, and key components that enable innovations in healthcare and industry. Biotechnology should also focus on human-centered goals such as disease prevention, treatment, and extending healthy lifespans, rather than just papers and patents. The ultimate beneficiaries of technology must be humanity.
Fifth, the budget allocation and evaluation system for national R&D must be reformed. The government should connect dispersed research and development projects by department and technology to national missions and encourage collaboration among businesses, universities, research institutions, and local governments to solve problems. The success of research and development should be judged not only by short-term performance metrics but also by field demonstrations, commercialization, improvements in public services, and long-term social benefits. Regions should be transformed from mere competition for research facility attraction into sites for practical demonstrations and innovations that address national challenges.
Sixth, purpose-driven innovation should not undermine the freedom of basic science. Discoveries that change the future of humanity can emerge from research that is difficult to justify in immediate practical terms. Therefore, curiosity-driven basic research should receive long-term and stable support, while applied research and industrial technology should have clearer problem-solving objectives and outcomes. The freedom to explore and social responsibility are not opposing values; harmonizing these two values is the responsibility of a mature science and technology nation.
Seventh, the highest goal of technology policy should be the coexistence of humanity, culture, and nature. AI should not simply replace human jobs but enhance human creativity and dignity. Digital technology should not homogenize culture but expand diversity. Industrial innovation should not destroy nature but create sustainable ecosystems. The advancement of technology does not automatically equate to the advancement of civilization. True progress occurs when technology operates for the benefit of humanity and society.
South Korea has accumulated world-class technological capabilities in semiconductors, automobiles, shipbuilding, batteries, and information and communication. What is now needed is to establish a national purpose and vision for utilizing that technology beyond mere accumulation. The government should present national challenges, businesses should solve market and societal problems, and universities and research institutions should build a new innovation ecosystem that explores future possibilities.
Movements are spreading among major developed countries, including the United States and Europe, to design research and development and industrial policies centered on social challenges. South Korea must also answer not only how to keep pace with technological hegemony but also what kind of technological civilization it will create. The direction technology takes is as important as its speed.
While we can marvel at the sight of Tesla's cars performing aerial flips, we cannot design South Korea's future based solely on applause for such spectacles. What we need is technology that changes the lives of citizens, solves humanity's challenges, and bequeaths a better world to the next generation.
A technology power is a country that excels in creating technology. However, a truly advanced nation is one that knows how to apply that technology effectively.
South Korea must now move beyond being a technology power to becoming a purpose-driven nation. This is the pragmatism of the AI era and the path to achieving sustainable prosperity. We must open an era of technology for humanity, moving beyond a time of technology for technology's sake. This is the new national mission that South Korea's science and technology policy and corporate management must pursue together.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.