'AI for All' Government Subsidies to be Differentiatedly Distributed to 3 Companies Based on Service Performance

[Financial News] SK Telecom, KT, and Kakao, the "AI for All" operators providing AI services to the entire nation within this year, will receive differentiated government subsidies based on performance metrics such as actual usage volume and the number of users. The government plans to evaluate the performance of the three companies on a quarterly and semi-annual basis until 2030 to determine differential subsidy levels; however, it intends to maintain the three-company "AI for All" system without disqualifying them even if their performance is low.
In addition, the government plans to establish a plan to support the marketing of nationwide AI services by creating a separate joint brand that allows the entire nation to instantly recognize 'AI for All' as an easy-to-understand and accessible service for everyone.
According to a comprehensive report by Financial News on the 7th, the Ministry of Science and ICT has decided to distribute 170 billion won of the 250 billion won budget for the 'AI for All' project, specifically for Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) support, differentially based on the service usage of the three companies—SK Telecom, KT, and Kakao—calculated according to their ratios.
The remaining 80 billion won will be used to provide 10 billion won each to operate services for each consortium, and 50 billion won will be invested in expanding the AI ​​agent ecosystem.

The government's operational plan for the 'AI for All' project is based on the principle of collaboration. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon emphasized collaboration during a briefing on the 4th, stating, "AI for All will not induce competition among consortia."
However, given that the government budget is directly supported, the government's policy is to conduct thorough competition and performance evaluations to increase service usage rates. The first performance evaluation will be conducted as early as March of next year. The evaluation cycle is likely to be semi-annual or quarterly. The judgment is that if evaluated only once a year, the long interval makes it difficult to reflect the performance of each consortium in a timely manner.
The evaluation is conducted as a de facto quantitative assessment method, where subsidies are settled retrospectively based on service usage, without distinguishing between pass and fail. Users are not disqualified from receiving support simply because they have few users.
An official from the Ministry of Science and ICT explained, "The differentiated subsidy support is focused on providing incentives rather than inducing competition," adding, "Each consortium will deliberate intensely to create competitive services." The official further emphasized, "However, the three companies are not simply competing to secure more users in the domestic market; the ultimate goal of this project is for domestic AI services to develop to a level where they can replace foreign models, so performance results will be scrutinized meticulously."
The Ministry of Science and ICT anticipates that the budget for supporting AI for All will not be reduced until 2030. As AI for All is a mid-to-long-term project aimed at securing the competitiveness of domestic AI, the ministry plans to continue providing stable financial support in the future.

The government plans to create a new joint brand that the public can recognize at a glance for the services currently being promoted under the name "AI for All." The Ministry of Science and ICT is consulting with officials from each company on how to apply the joint brand.
We are also considering holding a brand contest to raise public awareness.
While each consortium is highly likely to provide AI services through separate platforms such as mobile phones and KakaoTalk, the government plans to also establish an approach that utilizes a single platform.
Furthermore, the plan to monetize the premium AI services of the three consortia is expected to be implemented only after the second half of next year. However, the government's plan is to allow each company to secure profitability by utilizing advertising to the extent that it does not significantly disrupt their services until monetization begins.
An official from the Ministry of Science and ICT predicted that the advertising strategies would not cause inconvenience to service usage, stating, "Since all three companies are operators with extensive experience in public services and are well aware that advertisements have a counterproductive effect by distracting users' attention and reducing immersion, they will likely deliberate on various strategies."
Meanwhile, the government and each consortium are accelerating the official launch of 'AI for Everyone' within the year. An official from the Ministry of Science and ICT explained, "Since 'AI for Everyone' includes public services, there are many matters to discuss with the government," adding, "We are communicating to ensure that working-level discussions proceed smoothly leading up to the launch, covering issues such as service safety and personal information protection."
[email protected] Yoon Hong-jib, Choi Hye-rim Reporter