Bae Kyung-hoon, deputy prime minister and minister of Science and ICT [Ministry of Science and ICT]
Bae Kyung-hoon, deputy prime minister and minister of Science and ICT [Ministry of Science and ICT]

The Ministry of Science and ICT has launched the "AI Growth Ladder for All" project, an initiative covering the full spectrum from AI education and development to startup support. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon said the program would ensure "the benefits of AI reach every citizen."

Bae made the announcement Monday at the project's launch ceremony at the National Gwangju Science Museum, where he declared the integrated opening of three pillars of the initiative: the AI Learning Hub, AI Lab and AI Lounge.

The AI Growth Ladder for All project is part of a broader policy to make AI part of everyday life. In line with recommendations from the National AI Action Plan, it connects AI education, development and demonstration infrastructure that had previously operated separately. The goal is to build a step-by-step growth framework that takes participants from learning to development to scaling up.

Specifically, the project will create an online AI learning environment that consolidates public and private AI education content in one place. Beyond basic instruction, it will also support users in turning innovative ideas into AI-based services and startups through hands-on practice and development.

The AI Learning Hub is an online AI education portal linking content from both public and private providers, open to all citizens. A generative AI-powered chatbot search function recommends personalized courses tailored to each user's areas of interest and learning level, and connects them to relevant services.

The portal currently links education platforms including EBS Isop, School AI, K-MOOC, STEP, the AI Digital Learning Center and the Small Business Knowledge Learning Center. Starting this month, the ministry will gradually expand the network to include private-sector platforms from Naver, Samsung, KT Corp, Microsoft and Google.

The AI Lab is an online platform that lets anyone develop AI services directly, without cost or technical barriers. It provides one-stop support across the entire development cycle — from idea submission and infrastructure provision to outcome sharing and connections to commercialization and startup programs.

Users receive a natural-language-based vibe coding environment, along with tokens for subscribing to generative AI models, private cloud access and AI development tools. The platform also offers 99,000 public and private datasets and 13,000 application programming interfaces essential for service development.

The Ministry of Science and ICT building in Sejong [Herald DB]
The Ministry of Science and ICT building in Sejong [Herald DB]

The AI Lounge will also begin full operation. The offline hub — where users can build AI services in person and test them in real-world settings — will be established across five regional zones nationwide this year: the Greater Seoul metropolitan area, Gangwon Province, the Chungcheong region, the Gyeongsang region and the Jeolla-Jeju region.

The locations are: regional media centers in the metropolitan area covering Gimpo, Goyang, Seongnam, Hwaseong and Anseong; a metaverse experience center in Gangneung for the Gangwon zone; INNOSTAR (formerly the Dream Railway Zone) in Cheonan for the Chungcheong zone; the Daegu Technopark Sports Industry Support Center, Beomeo Library, Masan University and the Seomyeon Makerspace for the Gyeongsang zone; and the National Gwangju Science Museum for the Jeolla-Jeju zone.

Outstanding development teams identified through the AI Lab and AI Lounge will also receive close early-stage startup consulting and commercialization support across legal, marketing and technology.

"AI proficiency is a new fundamental competency that every citizen must have, and it is at the core of national competitiveness," Bae said. "Through the AI Growth Ladder for All, which takes its first step today, we will firmly establish a virtuous cycle of infrastructure connecting learning to development, real-world demonstration and the creation of new value."


ko@heraldcorp.com