Remember the clipper ship 'Cutty Sark' as 3 mega-projects launch: A historical lesson for Korea's AI era

The article draws a historical parallel between the decline of the clipper ship 'Cutty Sark' and South Korea's current challenge in the age of artificial intelligence. Just as the Suez Canal rendered the fastest sailing ships obsolete, the AI revolution is reshaping industries, making past successes in semiconductors, shipbuilding, and automobiles insufficient.

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The success achieved in semiconductors, shipbuilding, and automobiles was a history of pursuit on a course laid out by others. However, with the advent of artificial intelligence (AI), the game has changed, and the industrial map is being redrawn entirely.

South Korea's government recognizes this paradigm shift and is launching three major projects to build a 'Korean-style AI ecosystem.' This initiative aims to leverage AI to propel the nation into a leading position in advanced industries. The strategy emphasizes the critical need for talent, noting South Korea's lag in this area despite its overall AI index ranking. The article highlights the challenge of retaining researchers, who often seek better opportunities abroad, and the limitations of short-term government funding.

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The three mega-projects that the Lee Jae-myung government is staking its fate on are about changing the engine. It is a national strategy to build a 'Korean-style AI ecosystem' by integrating semiconductors, physical AI, and AI data centers, and to leap forward as an indispensable Korea and a leader in super-gap industries based on this.

Drawing lessons from China's state-led AI strategy, which includes systematic AI education from primary school and incentives for talent return, South Korea is implementing measures like a streamlined Ph.D. track and flexible employment for researchers. The goal is to provide stability and encourage long-term, ambitious research. The article suggests that a 'golden time' exists to attract AI talent, with recent indications of a slowdown in emigration to the U.S.

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The most important condition for winning the AI war is talent. However, our reality is not easy. Although Korea ranks 5th overall in the global AI index, it lags in the talent sector at 13th, and the net inflow rate of AI talent is minus 0.36 per 10,000 people.

Ultimately, the piece advocates for a proactive approach, akin to the Cutty Sark's pivot to new trade routes after its initial decline. It calls for fostering adaptable skills and enabling career transitions, citing the successful shift of shipbuilding workers to the secondary battery and defense industries. The author urges a courageous investment in an uncertain future, rather than merely replicating past glories, to position South Korea as a rule-maker in the new AI-driven era.

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The Cutty Sark's story did not end in decline. The Cutty Sark turned its attention to the South Pacific, where steamships could not go, and opened a new trade route carrying Australian wool, ushering in a second golden age. The essence of talent policy lies here.