South Korea promises free homegrown AI chatbot this year

SEOUL: South Korea plans to launch this year a free artificial intelligence chatbot service powered by domestic technology, Seoul said on Tuesday (Jul 21), seeking to reduce reliance on foreign platforms.Roughly half of South Korea's population of 51 million used generative AI applications in February, according to market research firm Wiseapp-Retail.The vast majority - nearly 23 million - used ChatGPT, developed by US firm OpenAI.As the technology has spread, countries have become increasingly concerned with so-called "AI sovereignty" - developing domestic models serving their own security, privacy and business interests. A spokesperson for South Korea's science ministry told AFP on Tuesday that a government initiative aims to roll out a general-purpose AI chatbot as well as an AI agent c