The Public Procurement Service (PPS), led by Commissioner Baek Seung-bo, visited artificial intelligence (AI) industry sites in Seoul on the 16th to discuss ways to support the growth of the AI industry through public procurement and to review tasks for institutional improvement. The visit was designed to hear firsthand from those on the ground and to identify procurement innovation tasks, with the aim of helping AI companies in the Seoul and Gyeonggi region enter and grow in the public procurement market.
 [코리안투데이] 조달청 AI 로봇 산업 현장에서 K 공공조달 추진 방향 모색 © 장형임 기자 |
That day, PPS Commissioner Baek Seung-bo visited Torooc Co., Ltd., a company specializing in AI humanoid robots, where he observed a demonstration of the AI social robot ‘LiKU’ and discussed corporate difficulties and requests for improvement with the company’s executives and staff. LiKU, short for ‘Like you, Link you,’ is a robot capable of recognizing human faces and engaging in voice conversation and emotional expression. It is currently used in a variety of public settings, including daycare centers, schools, care institutions and science museums, and the company has earned recognition for its technology by participating in the PPS’s pilot procurement program for innovative products and in overseas demonstration projects.
 [코리안투데이] 조달청 AI 로봇 산업 현장에서 K 공공조달 추진 방향 모색 © 장형임 기자 |
At the meeting, participants exchanged views on institutional improvements sought by the industry, such as making the evaluation criteria for AI innovative products more realistic, expanding demonstration opportunities through pilot procurement, and improving cost-calculation standards to reflect initial expenses like research and development costs. The PPS said it plans to actively review these requests and swiftly pursue institutional improvements that reflect the characteristics of the rapidly changing AI industry. This is significant in that it broadens the path for emerging AI companies—which, despite possessing strong technology, had been blocked by entry barriers—to grow using the public procurement market as a foothold.
 [코리안투데이] 조달청 AI 로봇 산업 현장에서 K 공공조달 추진 방향 모색 © 장형임 기자 |
Commissioner Baek then held a luncheon and dialogue with MZ-generation employees of the Seoul Regional Procurement Office, sharing views on the direction of organizational culture the employees hope for and on improving the way they work. The conversation ranged broadly over the government’s AI and semiconductor policies, including the recently promoted three major mega-projects, the role of procurement administration, and measures to strengthen AI utilization capabilities. Baek said, “No organization can advance without change and innovation, and change and innovation begin with the members’ interest in and affection for the organization,” urging “active interest and participation in the procurement environment, which is changing in diverse ways, so that MZ-generation employees can become agents of change and make the PPS an ever-awake organization.”
 [코리안투데이] 조달청 AI 로봇 산업 현장에서 K 공공조달 추진 방향 모색 © 장형임 기자 |
At a field communication meeting attended by the Korea Artificial Intelligence Association and AI-sector procurement companies that day, participants discussed measures for institutional improvement to help the AI industry enter and grow in the public procurement market, along with difficulties and suggestions related to public procurement. The PPS said it plans to quickly grasp the points raised on the ground and to actively review them so that the voices from the field are faithfully reflected when devising institutional improvements and support measures.
 [코리안투데이] 조달청 AI 로봇 산업 현장에서 K 공공조달 추진 방향 모색 © 장형임 기자 |
PPS Commissioner Baek Seung-bo stated, “AI is a future growth engine for our economy and the core of national competitiveness,” adding, “The PPS will actively support AI companies so that public procurement can serve as their first market, fulfilling its role in helping them demonstrate innovative technologies and expand their sales channels.” He continued, “By always listening to the voices on the ground and continuously improving unreasonable regulations, we will actively support AI companies so that they can use the public procurement market as priming water to leap not only into the domestic market but also into the global market.”
지역 홍보대사 신청 기자양성과정 신청 코리안투데이 지부장 신청 코리안투데이 인천강화코리안브랜드대상 신청 최고경영인대상 신청 소비자만족도대상 신청
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