South Korea 'cannot afford' to slow down AI development

South Korea cannot allow the development of artificial intelligence (AI) to slow down as the nation strives to catch up with global AI leaders and create new markets, stated South Korean Minister of Science and ICT, Bae Kyung-hoon.

“Adjusting the pace of development for an advanced nation is entirely different from a country that is simultaneously trying to close a gap and create new markets. We cannot allow the pace of AI development to slow down,” Bae stated in a social media post, as reported by Yonhap News on Wednesday.

Bae warned that the gap between nations possessing cutting-edge AI models—approaching human-level intelligence—and those without such sophistication could expand beyond the technological realm, impacting industrial competitiveness, national security, and long-term economic growth.

However, he cautioned against unconditional acceleration, stating that AI safety and public trust must progress in tandem with technological advancements.

Prominent figures including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and SpaceX’s Elon Musk have called for a slowdown in AI development to allow safety measures to catch up with technological progress. These calls have been accompanied by proposals for more independent oversight.

United States President Donald Trump rejected these calls, labelling concerns that AI could threaten humanity as “hoaxes.” According to Trump, slowing AI development in the United States could instead benefit China.

China has also rejected this perspective, stating that “spreading fear, confrontation, and destructive competition” will hinder global AI governance. China has instead called for technological development to be conducted in an open and inclusive manner.