The Ministry of Science and ICT (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Bae Kyung-hoon) held the launch ceremony for the 《AI Growth Ladder for All Project》 at the Gwangju National Science Museum on August 3, declaring the integrated opening of the ‘AI Learning Hub, Lab and Lounge for All.’ The initiative aims to connect AI education, development and demonstration infrastructure—previously run separately—into a single system, building a nationwide framework to strengthen every citizen’s AI capabilities by linking learning to development and on to entrepreneurship.
 [코리안투데이] The launch ceremony for the AI Growth Ladder for All Project, held at the Gwangju National Science Museum © 장형임 기자 |
The Ministry of Science and ICT held the launch ceremony for the 《AI Growth Ladder for All Project》 at the Gwangju National Science Museum on August 3, with the goal of strengthening every citizen’s AI utilization skills and fostering an AI innovation ecosystem. Part of the ‘Everyday AI for All’ policy and based on recommendations of the ‘National Artificial Intelligence Action Plan,’ the project pursues a stage-by-stage growth system that runs from education (Learning Hub), through development and demonstration (Lab and Lounge), to youth entrepreneurship.
The ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, National Assembly members Jeong Jun-ho, Lim Mun-yeong and Cho In-cheol of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, Deputy Mayor for Safety and Public Welfare Ko Kwang-wan of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, President Kim Hyung-cheol of the National Information Society Agency, Chairman Jung Woo-sung of the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity, along with project officials and local students and young people. Participants watched an introductory video titled ‘The AI Growth Ladder for All—From Learning to Service Creation,’ toured the lounge, and encouraged local youths taking part in the training and hands-on programs.
The project is built on three pillars. First, the 《AI Learning Hub for All》 is an online education portal that brings together AI education content from both the public and private sectors in one place. Open to everyone—from elementary, middle and high school students to university students, young adults and the general public—it uses a generative AI-based chatbot search to recommend tailored education suited to each user’s interests and learning level, and connects them to relevant services. Government-run platforms such as EBS Isof, School AI, K-MOOC, STEP, the AI Digital Learning Hub and the Small Business Knowledge Learning Hub are currently linked, along with information on participatory events such as on-site training, exhibitions and competitions. From August, the range of linkages will be gradually expanded to private education platforms, and a login and membership management system will be introduced to strengthen personalized services such as learning-history management and customized curation.
Second, the 《AI Lab for All》 is an online platform where anyone with an idea can develop AI services directly without cost or technical barriers. It provides one-stop support across the entire development cycle—from proposing ideas and supplying development infrastructure to sharing results and linking to commercialization and startups. Users are given a natural-language-based vibe-coding environment, tokens for subscribing to generative AI models, private cloud services and AI development support tools, backed by 99,000 sets of public and private data, 13,000 APIs, and development consulting from a specialized technical support center. An ‘AI Idea Community’ and an ‘AI Showcase Board’ will also open in stages to build a participatory development ecosystem.
Third, the 《AI Lounge for All》 is an offline hub where people build AI services and apply and demonstrate them on-site. It will be established in five regions across the country in 2026: in the metropolitan area at the Gimpo, Goyang, Seongnam, Hwaseong and Anseong regional media centers; in the Gangwon region at the Gangneung Metaverse Experience Center; in the Chungcheong region at Cheonan INNOSTAR (formerly the Dreaming Railway Zone); in the Gyeongsang region at the Daegu Technopark Sports Industry Support Center, Beomeo Library, Masan University and the Seomyeon Makerspace in Busan; and in the Jeolla and Jeju region at the Gwangju National Science Museum. Through hands-on coaching by experts known as ‘AI Sherpas,’ even beginners are helped to develop services, and the lounges serve as spaces where local residents and experts jointly identify and solve regional issues. Outstanding development teams discovered through the labs and lounges receive close support in early-startup consulting—covering areas such as law, marketing and technology—and in commercialization, leading them toward youth entrepreneurship.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon said, ‘As we face a great transition in which AI is transforming all aspects of life, the ability to use AI is a new fundamental competency that every citizen must possess and a core element of national competitiveness,’ adding, ‘Through the 《AI Growth Ladder for All》 taking its first step today, we will firmly build a virtuous-cycle infrastructure that runs from learning to development, on-site demonstration and the creation of new value.’ He went on to stress, ‘We will meticulously lay the foundation for AI for all, so that the benefits of AI reach every citizen rather than remaining confined to particular groups or regions.’
This initiative is significant in that, in a reality where AI education and development resources have been concentrated in the metropolitan area and among specialists, it places weight on expanding access to embrace local residents, non-specialists, small business owners and older adults. By opening free online learning and development environments and deploying offline hubs nationwide, it is expected to help narrow regional and class gaps in access to AI opportunities. Further details are available on the AI Learning Hub for All (ailearn4all.kr) and AI Lab for All (aitestbed.kr) websites, which can also be accessed through major portals such as Naver and Daum.
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화
THE KOREAN TODAY × WIA CODE
이 기사의 WIA Code
WIA Code 스캐너로 비추면 인터넷 없이 발행 사실과 위·변조 여부를 확인할 수 있습니다.
휴대폰 기본 카메라로 찍으면 스캐너 안내 페이지가 열립니다 — 기사 바로 열기
움직이는 코드는 스트림입니다 — WIA Code 스캐너로 약 23초 비추면 기사 전문(사진 포함)이 폰에 저장되어 인터넷 없이도 읽을 수 있습니다.
WIA Code · 코리안투데이
Leave a Reply