South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT will provide a generative AI-based regulatory search service to help companies quickly check whether regulations and permits are required for new technologies and services.

The ministry and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA) said on Sunday they will provide the "ICT Regulatory Sandbox Rapid Regulation Check Service" to 300 companies, including firms applying to the ICT regulatory sandbox.

The service uses AI to help companies, at the early stage of a business, search for laws and regulations that could apply to their new technologies and services. As cases increase in which laws and regulations from multiple ministries apply in combination to a single new technology or service, the ministry and NIPA set up a generative AI-based legal and regulatory search service to reduce companies' burden.

The ministry previously ran a two-week pilot of the service from July 29 to Aug. 12 for 30 ICT regulatory sandbox applicant companies that wanted to use it. Reflecting feedback from pilot users, it will provide vouchers from Aug. 25 that participating companies can use through year-end.

The support will cover 300 companies in total, including those that used it earlier. Vouchers allowing up to 100 questions per month per company will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. The number of supported companies and the number of uses can be adjusted depending on application and usage trends. Companies that want to use the service can apply on the ICT regulatory sandbox website.

Hong Seong-wan (홍성완), director general for ICT Policy at the ministry, said: "We will actively support companies by using generative AI to reduce their burden in checking regulations, and, when needed, to ensure the process can smoothly lead to ICT regulatory sandbox consultations and applications."