South Korea to offer free AI access to all 52 million citizens: What to know

South Korea is reportedly planning to give its entire population free access to generative AI services-a state-led initiative that treats artificial intelligence as an essential public utility.

The primary motive behind government-backed artificial intelligence services is to provide free, all-purpose access to AI chatbots and agents capable of handling everyday tasks.

On Friday, the Ministry of Science and ICT said it chose the three syndicates from six bidders for its “AI for Everyone” project, intended to expand across the domestic ecosystem.

The government will provide the three groups with a combined 512 Nvidia B200 graphics processing units and crucial plans to finance nationwide service expenses from 2027.

The project goes far beyond traditional chatbots, utilizing agentic AI that can navigate public services and leverage niche sectors such as health care, finance, education and housing. SK Telecom plans an autonomous agent that can take a request from planning through execution.

It can be digitally accessible through the web, phone calls and text messages while using AI-powered calls to reach entities operating on analog communication without digital interfaces. The AI is designed to guide users from comparisons to assessing tasks within a single conversation.

In addition, the ministry intends to close a deal with three groups in September before launching beta services and a full year-end deployment.