Key Points

At the 26th World Knowledge Forum (WKF) in Seoul, AI leaders stressed the growing importance of "Sovereign AI", a framework where nations independently develop, control, and operate AI systems, including data and computing infrastructure, within their own borders.

Martin Kon, former president and chief operating officer of Canadian AI firm Cohere, explained that Sovereign AI extends beyond geographic borders. "It means having sovereignty within one's own data environment," he said, emphasising that sensitive information, such as national security data, should not be stored on foreign servers.

Cohere, an AI startup specialising in enterprise-scale large language models (LLMs) and generative AI, has collaborated with Korean companies, including co-developing an inference-based LLM with LG CNS.

Park Sung-hyun, CEO of Korean AI chipmaker Rebellions Inc., cautioned that even developing nations must act now to secure AI sovereignty. "Although we cannot precisely predict the potential of AI, since AI will surpass the level of chatbots, even developing countries must secure AI Sovereignty," he said.

Experts suggested Korea's best path forward lies in strategic partnerships. Park noted that while Korea cannot develop all AI technologies independently, overreliance on a single country or company risks technological dependence. Instead, he advised diversifying partnerships to balance cooperation with autonomy.

Kon added that Korea should tailor AI development to its own needs rather than replicate foreign models. "Just as Korean banks don't need to provide the exact same service as Kenyan banks, AI technologies don't have to be identical everywhere," he said.

Beyond AI, global opinion leaders at the WKF also highlighted the need to safeguard the international community's core values of inclusion, resilience, and trust amid rising protectionism and geopolitical tensions.

The forum also featured leading thinkers on the challenges facing modern states. James Robinson, University of Chicago professor and winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Economics, warned that political polarisation and declining public trust in institutions have left many democracies unable to mediate conflicts or solve pressing problems.

"This represents an ideological crisis across modern liberal societies," Robinson said, calling for countries to honestly reassess their political and institutional frameworks.

Jared Diamond, UCLA professor emeritus and author of Guns, Germs, and Steel, urged global consensus on shared threats, highlighting nuclear proliferation as one of humanity's gravest dangers. He stressed the urgency of a binding global treaty to reduce nuclear stockpiles, saying, "Excessive nuclear weapons do not help any of us."

The 26th World Knowledge Forum is Asia's largest knowledge festival, organised by the Maeil Business Newspaper under the theme "New Odyssey: Navigating the Great Transition".

- ANI