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The government and major international organizations have agreed to join forces to establish an artificial intelligence (AI) hub to tackle global challenges.
On May 21, the government held a launch ceremony to unveil the Global AI Hub Vision.
The Global AI Hub is designed to consolidate AI capabilities from major international agencies and apply them to global crises—climate change, public health, food security, refugee flows and employment. The initiative aims to integrate the roles of international organizations and to share infrastructure and technical capacity.
The hub will develop technical standards and norms for AI and will actively support and promote AI adoption in developing countries. By sharing data, models and case studies, it will create frameworks for international cooperation and lead problem-solving through the development of operational tools, validated models and practical solutions.
At the ceremony, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok warned that AI is advancing rapidly while global discussions on AI norms lag, widening the technological gap between countries and deepening inequality. He stressed that to turn the mixed effects of the AI era into opportunities for shared prosperity, the international community must unite to establish principles for responsible use.
The government has continued collaborating with international organizations to host the hub in Korea. Nine U.N. agencies and specialized bodies—the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Organization for Migration (IOM), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), U.N. Development Programme (UNDP), U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP), U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP) and World Health Organization (WHO)—have expressed their intent to participate.
The government and the nine agencies issued a joint statement outlining the hub’s scope and priority areas. Under the banner “AI for All, AI to Solve Global Challenges,” they plan to build the hub as a collaborative platform bringing together governments, academia, research institutions and civil society.
They said the hub will focus especially on three goals: establishing safe and trustworthy AI norms and standards, addressing major global problems, and closing the AI divide.
In addition, five multilateral development banks—the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI)—will establish AI-focused centers in Korea linked to the Global AI Hub. The World Bank’s AI & Digital Knowledge Center opened in Songdo, Incheon, in December and is currently operating.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yoon-chul said linking the Global AI Hub with MDB AI centers will generate synergy across the entire process—from identifying demand and developing and testing models to scaling AI development projects in developing countries.
The government, participating international organizations and MDBs will form working groups to draft phased implementation plans for the announced vision and will maintain coordination through continuous communication.
Prime Minister Kim said, “The Global AI Hub will mark the start of the most practical and powerful form of solidarity,” adding that he hopes the declaration will become the international community’s concrete pledge to protect human dignity and shared prosperity through technology.
Hanbit Lee, reporter hblee@viva100.com
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