South Korea Launches AI Competition to Develop Indigenous Models and Compete Globally

South Korea has launched a government-backed AI competition, dubbed the "AI Squid Game," to identify leading indigenous AI foundation models and boost its position against US and Chinese tech dominance. The year-long contest involves periodic evaluations and eliminations by a Ministry of Science and ICT panel. Recent eliminations included Naver Corp. for using foreign technology and NCSoft's AI unit. The competition aims to foster innovation and develop open-source AI models comparable to global leaders like ChatGPT, with winners expected by early 2027.