KT’s CEO Advocates ‘Cooperative Sovereign AI’ Amid Global Race for Generative AI DominanceAs countries and corporations worldwide increasingly adopt the concept of 'sovereign AI,' emphasizing the development of independent AI capabilities using proprietary data and infrastructure, KT Corporation has introduced a new strategic approach. Kim Young-seop, CEO of KT, highlighted the importance of collaboration in AI development during his keynote address at the GSMA’s M360 APAC event, held at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul.Kim proposed a 'Cooperative sovereign AI' model, suggesting that the global pursuit of supremacy in generative AI, which demands colossal investments, is not a task any one country or company can tackle alone. “No single entity can independently possess cutting-edge technologies such as AI, autonomous driving, and humanoid robotics efficiently, given the high opportunity costs and time required,” Kim explained.The cooperative approach encourages companies to retain sovereignty over their data and AI technologies while drawing from a broader spectrum of global technologies, minimizing reliance on any single platform or technology provider.In a move reflecting this vision, KT has forged a strategic partnership with Microsoft (MSFT), aimed at developing Korean AI models and cloud services to accelerate AI transformation across industries. The collaboration seeks to leverage Microsoft’s expertise in AI, specifically OpenAI’s multimodal GPT-4o model and its small language model, Phi, to create AI solutions tailored to Korean businesses and culture.This partnership is set to revolutionize the deployment of AI across various sectors, with an initial focus on enhancing KT’s customer service chatbots and offering industry-specific solutions to their B2B clients. The initiative underlines KT’s ambition to play a pivotal role in Korea’s AI landscape while leveraging global AI advancements to drive growth.In a video message at the event, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella emphasized the transformative potential of AI. He said “AI will fundamentally change productivity across all sectors, including telecommunications. We are excited to build a robust AI and cloud ecosystem, combining KT’s local expertise with Microsoft’s advanced technology”KT’s cooperative sovereign AI model underscores a broader shift in the AI industry, where collaboration and strategic alliances may be key to keeping pace with the rapid advancements in technology while safeguarding data sovereignty and national interests.