The government declared a 'Global AI Hub' vision with 9 major international organisations and issued a joint statement on May 21. The goal is to use artificial intelligence (AI) to address common challenges facing humanity, including the climate crisis, health, food and refugees.

Prime Minister Kim Min-seok (김민석) and relevant ministries held the vision declaration ceremony at the Grand Hyatt in Seoul on the day. Participants included 9 international organisations: the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Five multilateral development banks (MDBs) also joined: the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI).

The Global AI Hub set out a vision of 'AI for all, AI to solve global challenges'. It plans to play three roles: promoting AI adoption in developing countries at the policy and standards level and establishing technical standards and guidelines; building cooperation frameworks among organisations and countries, including sharing data, models and demonstration cases; and developing tools, models and solutions and producing real-world use cases.

Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Koo Yun-cheol (구윤철), who also serves as minister of economy and finance, presented a plan to link participating organisations with an AI-specialised centre to be established in South Korea and with the Global AI Hub. Koo said, "If an international organisation-led Global AI Hub and an MDB AI Hub with financial support functions are linked, synergy will be created from identifying demand, developing models and conducting demonstrations to expanding AI development projects in developing countries." The WB AI and Digital Knowledge Center opened in Incheon Songdo in December last year and is already operating.

Amy Pope (에이미 포프), director general of the IOM, Gilbert Houngbo (질베르 웅보), director general of the ILO, Doreen Bogdan-Martin (도린 보그단 마틴), secretary-general of the ITU, and Achim Steiner (알렉산더 더크루), administrator of the UNDP, expressed in congratulatory remarks their commitment to cooperate without sparing their organisations' capabilities.

The government and participating international organisations and MDBs plan to draw up a phased implementation plan through working groups and maintain a cooperative framework through always-on communication channels.