Ministry of Science and ICT seeks director for AI scientist mission

The Ministry of Science and ICT said Friday it will recruit a program director for the K-Moonshot Project's AI Scientist mission, intended to steer research toward autonomous scientific discovery by 2035.

The mission seeks to develop an AI capable of independently conducting the full research cycle, from formulating hypotheses to designing, validating and analyzing experiments and producing research outcomes.

Applications will be accepted from Aug. 7 through Aug. 24. Final selection and appointment are planned for September, and the appointee will work at the National AI Research Center, or NAIS, through July 2029.

The director will set the road map, design core research projects and monitor progress. The role also includes planning research on technology gaps, supporting budget procurement, overseeing project selection and evaluation, managing commercialization and spin-offs, and coordinating with government ministries, agencies, industry, academia and research institutes.

The nationwide K-Moonshot Project aims to double research productivity by 2030 and solve 12 national missions by 2035. "Securing AI competitiveness is important to stay ahead in the contest for AI leadership, but what matters above all is what it will achieve and its ultimate goal," said Bae Gyeong-hun, deputy prime minister and minister of science and ICT.

The ministry said NAIS is working to link scientific AI resources including training data, computing capacity and AI models, while developing and disseminating a platform intended to raise research productivity. Yu Yong-gyun, head of NAIS, said the center plans to help ensure AI can serve as an innovative "scientific discovery engine" for researchers.