Kim Yong-beom: "In the AI Era, the State Must Organize the Entire Production Capacity Ecosystem"

Kim Yong-beom, Policy Chief at the Blue House, wrote on his social media today (July 18) that "the artificial intelligence (AI) production system requires a physical foundation as massive as, and sometimes even greater than, traditional 'heavy, thick, long, and large' (heavy and chemical) industries," adding that a new role for the state is required to support this.

Kim continued, "The task of the state in the AI era is to organize the entire relationship through which production capacity is created."

He stated, "If electricity is not connected, GPUs cannot operate, and without power transmission networks and water supply, data centers and semiconductor factories cannot function," adding, "The core conditions required for production are becoming more dependent on infrastructure and networks built by society as a whole rather than within individual companies."

Kim also wrote, "If society provides large-scale infrastructure and institutional foundations, and companies secure new production capacity based on them, it can be designed so that a portion of those achievements leads back to the formation of the next generation's production capacity," calling it a "mechanism for the public and companies to accumulate the achievements of the AI era together."

This is interpreted as a call to establish a system where massive profits generated from the semiconductor boom—including through the newly created 'Future Response Fund'—are reinvested into future-oriented areas such as education, training, infrastructure, and advanced technology research and development.

Kim also diagnosed that "growth in the AI era is highly likely to take a 'K-shaped' (extreme polarization) form," adding, "There is a growing risk that entry-level jobs will decrease, the value of existing skills will weaken, and small and medium-sized enterprises and regional economies that cannot access new means of production will remain at the bottom of the growth curve."

He argued that the government must provide the public with AI-centered vocational training opportunities and 'first career' experiences, and emphasized the need for livelihood support through fiscal spending, stating, "If a minimum standard of living is not maintained, the transition itself is impossible."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.