Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, the U.S.-based developer of generative artificial intelligence (AI) ChatGPT, visited South Korea on Sept. 9. “Korea has many companies with global competitiveness, which is a great asset,” said Mr. Altman, who is visiting Korea for the first time. “We are already having many conversations with Korean companies and startups, and we want to develop together.”
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups hosted Sam Altman and Greg Brockman, co-founders of OpenAI, at Bldg. 63 in Yeouido, Seoul, to discuss AI technologies, including ChatGPT. The event was attended by more than 100 Korean startups in the field of AI, and participants had the opportunity to ask questions about AI technologies.
“Korea is a very interesting place, it has one of the highest internet penetration rates and a very high level of technology, and OpenAI is ready and interested in working with Korea,” he said. “We’ve supported a lot of Korean startups, and we’re particularly interested in deep-tech startups, and we’re also very interested in developers utilizing our platform.” In terms of specific collaborations with Korean companies and startups, he said, “We would like to develop a dedicated semiconductor chip that can be used by OpenAI.”
The startups in attendance showed a lot of interest in learning more about OpenAI’s services, corporate and privacy policies, copyright policies for ChatGPT, and other AI-related technical details. When asked what the next generation of AI, GPT5, will look like, Mr. Altman said, “With each generation of AI technology, OpenAI has been adding new scientific research and new features.” “There will be new elements in terms of algorithms and features,” he said. In response to concerns that AI could replace human intellectual labor, such as in the arts, he said, “If AI applies human-generated content, it should be fairly rewarded to the original creator.” When asked about the direction of AI-related regulation, Brockman said, “Regulations should focus on the use cases of the technology, because the technology will continue to evolve around regulations, but the way we use it will not.”
Since last May, Mr. Altman and other OpenAI executives have been traveling the world on the OpenAI Tour to discuss AI. They have visited Canada, Brazil, Nigeria, Poland, Spain, France, and the U.K. This week, they traveled to Israel, Jordan, Qatar, the UAE, and other Middle Eastern countries, as well as India. However, South Korea is reportedly the only country that has held a question-and-answer event for startups in addition to talks with heads of state and government officials. It was also the first time that co-founder Greg Brockman attended the event with Mr. Altman. Brockman met and married his Korean wife in Silicon Valley, California.
Attendees were enthusiastic. About 20 people raised their hands each time the moderator asked for a question. Many attendees raised their voices and even stood up on their chairs to get a chance to ask Mr. Altman a question. The enthusiasm for the questions was so high that OpenAI reportedly requested that the MSS adjust the length of individual questions to give more startups a chance to ask. “Mr. Altman is a legendary figure in the startup industry,” said a startup representative who attended the meeting, “and although I didn’t get a chance to ask him questions, I felt intimidated and overwhelmed just by seeing him in person.”
“Starting with today’s meeting, we will continue to exchange and cooperate with OpenAI to help our AI startups grow globally,” said Minister Lee Young. Following the mid-level meeting, Mr. Altman will attend a separate meeting hosted by SoftBank Ventures to share his views with Korean AI industry stakeholders, and later meet with President Yoon Seok-yul at the Yongsan Presidential Office.
