Government Launches Initiative to Accelerate AI Talent Development
The government is taking significant steps to address the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) professionals by introducing a new system aimed at producing AI experts more efficiently. This initiative includes reducing the time required to complete bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from the standard 8 years to just 5.5 years. Additionally, the plan involves expanding AI-related class hours in elementary, middle, and high schools.
Key Components of the AI Talent Development Plan
The Ministry of Education announced the ‘AI Talent Development Plan’ on the 10th, which outlines several measures to support this initiative. This plan serves as a follow-up to the government’s broader goal of positioning the country among the top three in AI through education and research support. A central component of the plan is the creation of an integrated bachelor’s-master’s-doctoral program, which will shorten the traditional 8-year process by at least 2.5 years.
Currently, the Higher Education Act allows only integrated bachelor’s-master’s and master’s-doctoral programs. However, the government plans to revise the law to permit integrated bachelor’s-master’s-doctoral programs specifically in AI. This move is driven by the urgent need for more master’s- and doctoral-level professionals in industrial fields. According to projections by the Ministry of Employment and Labor in 2023, there is expected to be a shortage of 16,600 high-level AI professionals by 2027.
Financial Support and Educational Expansion
Next year, the government will designate three national universities as ‘AI Hub Universities,’ providing 3 billion Korean won in support. Additionally, 400 outstanding undergraduate students in AI fields will receive annual scholarships of 20 million Korean won. The number of ‘AI-focused schools,’ which can allocate more hours to information classes, will increase from the current 730 to 2,000 by 2028. These schools will be allowed to schedule up to 102 hours of information classes annually, which is 34 hours more than general schools that have 68 hours.
General schools will also increase AI class hours within their information curriculum from 13 to 21 hours annually. A separate project will begin to select Meister High Schools that effectively utilize AI in classes and provide each with 500 million Korean won in support.
Challenges in Implementation
To increase AI class hours as outlined, the Ministry of Education must significantly expand the number of qualified teachers. Currently, there is a shortage of teachers for information classes in elementary, middle, and high schools, making teacher recruitment a pressing issue. Despite this, the Ministry did not present specific plans for securing teachers during the announcement. At a press briefing, Minister of Education Choi Kyo-jin stated, “We will secure additional information subject teachers through intergovernmental cooperation and provide training for teachers in other subjects to deliver AI-integrated classes.”
Budget Allocation for AI Education
The Ministry of Education has allocated a total budget of 1.4 trillion Korean won for AI talent development next year—900 billion won for elementary and middle school education and 500 billion won for higher education. However, only 124.7 billion won of this budget is directly allocated to AI-specific education. This highlights the need for further investment and strategic planning to ensure the success of the AI talent development initiatives.