Geopolitika AI ⭐ Notable

South Korea Plans Free National AI Chatbot for All Citizens — Tender Open Through August 11

Streda 22. júla 2026 • Source: UPI

What happened

South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT opened a tender (deadline August 11) for 'AI for Everyone' — a free nationwide AI chatbot for all citizens, backed at least 50% by domestic Korean AI models. Public beta targeted for late September 2026.

Context and impact

The program is funded to remain free through 2028. A more advanced 'public-service agent' will proactively identify government benefits and assist with administrative applications. The move comes as 23 million Koreans reportedly quit paying ChatGPT subscriptions over the past year.

Details

Tender deadline: August 11, 2026
Public beta target: late September 2026
Requirement: min. 50% domestic Korean AI models
Funded through: 2028 (free for citizens)
Context: 23M Koreans cancelled paid ChatGPT subscriptions in past year

Open original source UPI