Science ministry says all four teams' AI models join Epoch AI list

The science ministry said that AI models developed by all four teams in its homegrown AI foundation-model project during the first half of 2026 were added to Epoch AI's Notable Model list. The ministry said the teams improved the models' performance during the period.

So far in 2026, only models from South Korea, the United States and China have been included. The listing is used as a key indicator in Stanford University's Human-Centered AI Institute's annual AI Index report and is recognized as a measure of national AI competitiveness.

"AI models developed with South Korean technology have demonstrated their potential by proving their technical strength at a global level," Bae Gyeong-hun, deputy prime minister and science minister, said. "With Korea now needing to compete alongside leading countries on a larger stage, we will spare no support to sustain results that people can feel."

The four teams plan to release their models as open source so domestic companies and researchers can build follow-on technologies and services from them. The government said it plans to support homegrown AI technology in global competition and strengthen the competitiveness of AI services and industry.