Overcoming AI Limits with Brain Science: Korea University and Tohoku University Launch Next-Generation Language Intelligence Research

[Financial News] Korea University is teaming up with Tohoku University in Japan to develop next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) technology that combines linguistics and brain science. The goal is to secure core technology for human-centered language intelligence that can think and communicate like people, going beyond the limits of existing large language models (LLMs) that rely on massive amounts of data. Korea University’s Language and Information Research Institute said it was selected for the Global Humanities and Social Sciences Convergence Research Support Program, run by the National Research Foundation of Korea under the Ministry of Education, and began the joint Korea-Japan research project on the 1st. The research team will receive about 4.85 billion won in government funding over the next six years.
The study will focus on identifying the fundamental reasons current AI models led by big tech still fail to fully match humans’ unique logical and social reasoning abilities. By linking AI and brain science through linguistics, the team plans to derive design principles for highly efficient AI models that can learn from relatively small amounts of data and flexibly solve unfamiliar problems. It also aims to build the foundation for explainable artificial intelligence (XAI), which can transparently interpret internal decision-making processes.
To this end, the research team will establish a Virtual Joint Lab with Tohoku University’s Cognitive Neuroscience Application Center, which has infrastructure for brain imaging and brainwave measurements, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). The two institutions plan to conduct comparative studies of brain responses across Korean, Japanese and English, while also building a close global cooperation framework through regular academic conferences and researcher exchanges.
Song Sang-heon, head of Korea University’s Language and Information Research Institute and a professor of linguistics, said, "Through linguistics, we will present a new analytical framework that compares and evaluates human cognitive processes and AI’s internal processing structures on the same basis." He added, "We will also release multilingual cognitive evaluation metrics and benchmark data developed through the project to broaden the foundation for industry-academia cooperation and follow-up research."
Meanwhile, the project will undergo a phased review in its third year, after which final approval for an additional three years of support will be determined.

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter