Young Korean Researchers Build AI to Automate Scientific Discovery
South Korea's youngest researchers are founding startups to develop AI scientists-systems that can conduct research, propose experiments, and generate new scientific knowledge without human intervention.
Bae Jae-won, 23, chief technology officer at Nanopogie AI, graduated from KAIST's mathematical science program in two years. He briefly attended medical school before deciding he wanted to start a company that could solve problems humans couldn't. He founded Nanopogie AI in May 2023 with Kim Dong-hyun, then a high school student.
The company uses AI to discover new materials for battery production. Rather than trial-and-error testing, Nanopogie AI learns the underlying physics of material properties and uses logical deduction to identify candidate substances. The approach treats material science as a problem of understanding which physical quantities produce desired properties.
Bae said the company is already exploring specific materials and working with battery manufacturers.
Lee Min-hyung, also 23, founded Asteromov in February 2023. He was identified as gifted in childhood and became a researcher at Seoul National University Medical School immediately after completing junior high school. He later made money through quantitative trading but said the work felt hollow.
Asteromov now employs more than 20 people. The company's goal differs from Nanopogie: it aims to build AI that can formulate scientific questions and conduct reasoning-not just answer them. Lee said the ultimate target is "AI asking questions and conducting experiments to create new scientific knowledge."
Both founders argue that AI will fundamentally change how science works. Bae said modern science has become too specialized for humans to grasp as a whole, but AI could understand all fields simultaneously and identify connections across disciplines.
Lee made a broader claim: "AI scientists are mankind's last invention." He added that the human role will shift from asking questions to deciding how to use the answers AI provides.
These startups reflect a broader pattern among Korean researchers in their 20s who grew up hearing about exceptional talent and now see AI as the tool to tackle unsolved problems.
For researchers interested in building these systems, AI for Science & Research covers the technical foundations of using AI for scientific discovery and research automation.
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