Google DeepMind and South Korea Sign AI Cooperation Agreement
Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, said artificial general intelligence will arrive within five years and reshape industry faster than the Industrial Revolution. He made the statement at a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony with South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT on April 27 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Seoul-the same venue where AlphaGo defeated Lee Se-dol a decade ago.
The partnership marks a shift in AI competition beyond generative models toward AGI development. Bae Kyung-hoon, Vice Prime Minister and Science Minister, said the agreement will accelerate AI innovation while advancing safe and responsible research practices.
Three Areas of Focus
Google DeepMind will pursue collaboration in three domains:
- Expanding AI research exchanges to drive scientific progress
- Developing next-generation AI talent through internships and training
- Jointly establishing international standards for AI safety
The National Science AI Research Center, launching in May, will serve as the hub for joint work. Google DeepMind will conduct research with South Korea's ministry on life sciences, weather modeling, and climate forecasting as part of the government's K-Moonshot initiative.
Google will establish an AI campus in Korea to expand partnerships with academic institutions, researchers, and startups. The company also plans to create internship opportunities for domestic AI talent to work within Google DeepMind's research environment.
AI Safety and Corporate Partnerships
Both organizations committed to developing AI safety frameworks and model safeguards. They will collaborate with South Korea's domestic AI Safety Research Institute on evaluation methodologies and risk response systems.
Hassabis said Google has scheduled meetings with Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, signaling potential expansion of partnerships with South Korean corporations. He cited Korea's strengths in semiconductors and robotics as reasons for deepening ties.
Google DeepMind, acquired by Google in 2014, developed AlphaGo and AlphaFold. The organization has expanded into large language models and multimodal AI systems as it pursues AGI development.
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