OpenAI CEO Sam Altman visits South Korea as country seeks to encourage AI development

Open AI Chief Executive Sam Altman is set to meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and about 100 local startups on Friday, as the country seeks to encourage domestic competitiveness in artificial intelligence.

After crisscrossing Europe last month meeting lawmakers and national leaders to discuss the prospects and threats of AI, Altman has travelled to Israel, Jordan, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, India and South Korea – all this week.

South Korea is one of few countries that has developed its own foundation models for artificial intelligence in a field dominated by the United States and China, thanks to local tech firms such as Naver, Kakao, and LG.