



By Jun Ji-hye







The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Korea University and Sungkyunkwan University have been selected as the institutes to run government-funded graduate schools specializing in artificial intelligence (AI), according to the Ministry of Science and ICT, Monday.







The ministry said the government plans to inject 9 billion won ($8 million) for the next five years to support the three universities in teaching and developing AI technology.







In the long term, the government will invest a combined 19 billion won for the next 10 years after conducting performance evaluations.







The plan was designed to nurture highly qualified professionals in the AI field, the ministry said, noting that major countries around the world including the United States and China have made similar moves.







For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has invested $1 billion to set up an AI college this year, while China aims to establish 50 colleges and research centers dedicated to AI, according to the ministry.







The three universities will open their AI-related master's and doctorate programs in the fall semester beginning September.







The ministry said 12 local universities had applied in January to run the AI graduate schools, presenting their plans to offer relevant curricula and cooperate with companies as well as foreign universities.







Among those, KAIST vowed to increase world-class teaching staff from 10 this year to 20 in 2023, and establish the College of AI afterward. The university also plans to nurture Pangyo in Gyeonggi Province as Asia's largest "AI Valley."







Korea University plans to nurture talented human resources in four promising areas including healthcare and self-driving technology.







Sungkyunkwan University will secure 15 instructors specializing in AI software and hardware. The university also plans to cooperate with 39 enterprises including Samsung Electronics.







"We believe competitiveness in the Fourth Industrial Revolution will come from investments into human resources," a ministry official said. "The government will support AI graduate schools so they can become the new cradle of AI education."









