Special Act on Physical AI Introduced to Coincide with Jensen Huang's Visit: "One-Stop Regulatory Relief"

Hwang Jungah, Secretary of the Industrial Division, Democratic Party AI Leadership Committee
Leads Sponsorship of the Special Bill

On June 5, the same day that Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, visited Korea in search of physical artificial intelligence (AI) partners, a special bill was proposed at the pan-government level to support the physical AI industry.

Hwang Jeonga, secretary of the Industrial Division of the Democratic Party of Korea’s Committee for Becoming an AI Power, announced that she had sponsored the "Special Act on the Promotion and Support for the Development of Physical AI," which aims to foster and support an ecosystem in which physical AI can make autonomous decisions and act within physical spaces.

This bill includes provisions such as: easing regulations on the use of original data for robot operation and learning; incentives to attract top global talent; and the establishment of basic infrastructure to integrate AI into the manufacturing industry.

Hwang Jeonga, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaking

To prevent companies from missing the right timing for commercialization due to delays in administrative procedures, the bill introduces a "one-stop regulatory sandbox approval timeout system." It consolidates the scattered regulatory sandbox application windows from various ministries into the Ministry of Science and ICT. In addition, if a rejection notice is not issued within 60 days, the regulatory exception will be considered automatically granted. The validity period for these exceptions has also been extended from two years to five years, ensuring business continuity.

The special act also provides a legal basis for implementing a "physical AI-specialized demonstration testbed." In designated pilot regions, special regulations will apply, such as expedited regulatory review and the relaxation of certain legal requirements.

Previously, the Industrial Division of the Democratic Party of Korea’s Committee for Becoming an AI Power held a forum in April to gather industry feedback on the enactment of the special act. Major companies such as SK Group, Hyundai Motor Company, and Kakao Mobility participated in the discussion.

Assemblywoman Hwang Jeonga emphasized, "This special act was designed based on the vivid voices and urgent suggestions of Korea’s leading companies," adding, "In order to become a 'first mover' in the race for technological hegemony, outdated laws and systems that cannot keep up with the speed of the field must be boldly overhauled."

Jensen Huang is expected to begin his official visit by meeting with the heads of major Korean companies. During his stay, he is also scheduled to participate in a second "Kkanbu meeting," throw the ceremonial first pitch at a Doosan Bears home baseball game, and visit LG Group headquarters, Seoul National University’s AI Research Institute and Robotics Lab, the Hyundai Motor headquarters in Yangjae, and Naver 1784, among others.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.