Jensen Huang (left), CEO of NVIDIA, and Lee Jae-yong, Chairman of Samsung Electronics, attend NVIDIA's GeForce GPU 25th anniversary event held at COEX in Seoul on the 30th of last month. Yonhap News.

Representative of the National Alliance for Free Unification, Ph.D. in Public Administration, Chairman of the Global Aerospace Industry AssociationThe day before yesterday, NVIDIA's Jensen Huang had chicken and beer with Chairmen Lee Jae-yong and Chung Eui-sun at Kkanbu Chicken. The goal is for Hyundai Motor and Samsung Semiconductor to secure necessary AI chips from NVIDIA, and in return, NVIDIA will receive a stable supply of semiconductor chips and secure physical AI technology.

※ Physical AI: Technology that goes beyond generative AI (text/image generation) to enable robots, autonomous vehicles, and smart machines to autonomously handle complex physical tasks.

In 2015, the match between Go player Lee Sedol and AI AlphaGo resulted in a 4:1 loss for Lee Sedol. Since then, AI has never lost to professional players like Ke Jie. It is said that players are improving their skills by learning AI's game records.

If a university professor assigns homework as before, students will invariably use AI to submit it, so new methods will have to be devised.

Nowadays, many decisions are being made by AI, from personal choices to business innovations. Furthermore, AI has proven its power as a game-changer in warfare, as seen in the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Hamas conflict.

AI is the 'engine' of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, combining with IoT (Internet of Things), big data, cloud computing, quantum computing, and neuroscience to create a hyper-intelligent world. AI, beyond being a mere tool, enhances productivity and creates new value, but it also brings about changes in employment and ethical issues. The AI market is projected to surpass $300 billion in 2025, with growth centered around NVIDIA and Microsoft, and the 2030s are heralded as a $2 trillion era.

Here, we will examine several AI-related issues, introduce new aspects of warfare utilizing AI, and discuss how to live in the AI era.

Human-in-the-Loop

True collaboration is possible only when AI becomes an entity that can imagine and create alongside humans, with the decisive moments of creation still completed by human hands. The information provided by AI is not always accurate, so human judgment to distinguish truth remains crucial. AI has great potential to enhance productivity and creativity, but ethical issues (bias, privacy infringement) and social disparities must be managed.

AI Singularity

This refers to the point where artificial intelligence (AI) surpasses human intelligence and rapidly designs/improves more intelligent AI on its own, moving beyond human prediction and control. Currently, AI excels over humans in specific tasks, but areas such as human intuition, emotion, and understanding of social context remain difficult for AI to replicate. However, "the moment AI begins to evolve independently beyond humans, an unpredictable 'end and beginning' will simultaneously arrive in human history."

Connecting the Human Brain and AI

With current technology, the possibility of brain-AI connection altering DNA or having genetic effects is extremely low; it primarily operates at a neurological and functional level. However, from an evolutionary perspective, research on long-term effects is deemed necessary.

AI is a mirror of humanity. If trained with biased data, it creates a biased world. There are ethical issues such as privacy infringement, ambiguity in accountability for AI errors, AI drones/robots causing casualties, and significant reduction in low-skilled jobs due to AI automation. Efforts are being made to mitigate these through legislation. A sustainable AI era requires a balance of technology, ethics, and legal frameworks.

AI and Electricity

"AI is the core infrastructure of national competitiveness in the 21st century, and the foundation of that infrastructure is electricity." (OECD AI Strategy Report 2025) To develop world-class AI, South Korea must establish a public-private integrated AI-dedicated power grid of 23 GW by 2030 and 85 GW by 2040. Key strategies include 100 SMRs, 50 GW of renewable energy, private power pooling, and a national AI Power Authority. It can be said that AI self-reliance and advancement are impossible with only renewable energy like solar and wind without nuclear power generation.

Sovereign AI

Sovereign AI refers to a nation independently securing and operating its entire AI technology stack without external dependence.

The United States can possess complete sovereign AI due to its global monopoly in all fields (NVIDIA + OpenAI + AWS + Data + Policy), but South Korea can realistically develop partial sovereign AI by possessing only hardware, data, and some policy aspects. Experts suggest that by developing industrial manufacturing AI (smart factories), medical/healthcare AI, and defense/security AI with minimal investment, South Korea can achieve global competitiveness in these areas.

AI Utilization and Importance in Modern and Future Warfare

On December 26, 2022, five North Korean drones violated South Korean airspace. One of them reached near the presidential office in Yongsan, Seoul (no-fly zone P-73), posing a direct threat to national security. The South Korean military responded immediately but failed to shoot down the drones. A retaliatory operation was launched, deploying drones into North Korean airspace. Two out of five launched drones entered North Korean airspace, with one reaching above Pyongyang.

The U.S. Department of Defense AI Strategy 2023 report defines "AI as the gunpowder and commander of 21st-century warfare." Firstly, in terms of speed, it can analyze tens of thousands of data points per second, enabling a 100x faster OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act – and repeat faster) than humans, thus securing the initiative for preemptive strikes.

Unmanned systems can enter hazardous areas first, protecting human lives and enabling prolonged conflicts while reducing political burdens. The cost is 1/50th that of manned aircraft, representing a significant cost reduction. One soldier can control thousands of drones simultaneously.

In modern warfare, AI is already determining victory and defeat, and in future warfare, AI will become the war itself. South Korea is emerging as a global defense powerhouse through civil-military integration and combat-oriented AI development, pursuing a paradigm shift in future warfare. The defense budget for 2025 is 66.3 trillion won, an 8.2% increase from the previous year, with concentrated investment in AI, drones, and unmanned systems. This is a strategy to overcome troop shortages due to declining birth rates and North Korea's asymmetric threats, accelerating the convergence of civilian AI technology into defense.

New Aspect of the Ukraine War: Asymmetric Warfare Centered on AI and Drones

The Ukraine-Russia war is evolving from traditional large-scale maneuver warfare into 'asymmetric warfare' led by AI, drones, and satellite communication technologies. The Ukrainian military is effectively striking Russian rear facilities and naval assets using low-cost drones and AI systems, changing the paradigm of warfare.

Starlink's satellite internet and GPS capabilities enable precision navigation and real-time data transmission for drones. The GIS-based Arta system has emerged as a key tool for integrated control of artillery and drones in close combat. Ukraine recently deployed a large number of long-range swarm drones to strike Russian energy infrastructure. Drones were used to destroy a bridge connecting Crimea, and drone submersibles destroyed the Black Sea Fleet.

Reflecting the lessons of the Ukraine war, the South Korean military is building an 'integrated command and control system' with AI at its core. This signifies a transition to the 'digital warfare era' by upgrading the ROK-US Combined Command System, scheduled for completion by 2029. The goal is for AI to analyze real-time data to assist commanders' decision-making and automate swarm operations of drones, missiles, and robots, countering North Korea's missile and drone threats and realizing 'algorithm-centric' operations in future warfare.

MUM-T Combat System: Present and Future - Military Innovation through Manned-Unmanned Teaming

MUM-T (Manned-Unmanned Teaming) is a military concept that enhances battlefield Situational Awareness (SA) and increases lethality while minimizing human casualties through the collaboration between manned platforms (helicopters, warships, fighter jets, etc.) and unmanned systems (drones, unmanned vehicles, etc.). This is evolving beyond simple technological integration into a new combat strategy and is actively being tested by the U.S., South Korean, and Singaporean militaries as of 2025.

Ground MUM-T in the Army automates battlefield logistics and reconnaissance missions through teaming unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) with manned armored vehicles. A prime example is the combination of U.S. Army Apache or Chinook helicopters with unmanned tiltrotor drones. Boeing's new tiltrotor drone family, announced in October 2025, will team with existing helicopters to perform reconnaissance and strike missions, ensuring ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) continuity during helicopter downtime. Navy-centric MUM-T expands defensive and offensive capabilities by deploying drone swarms on warships. In aerial combat, MUM-T maximizes combat efficiency through a mix of manned fighter jets and unmanned 'loyal wingmen.' The U.S. Air Force began testing the integration of unmanned fighter prototypes with F-22s and F-35s in May 2025, with drones taking on preemptive strike and electronic warfare roles to enhance the survivability of manned aircraft.

MUM-T relies on AI autonomy and human-machine collaboration, with drone swarms and 5G/6G integration expected to be standardized. However, ethical dilemmas (regulation of autonomous weapons) and cyber vulnerabilities pose challenges. Global competition is intensifying, centered around the U.S. and China, with allies like NATO and South Korea playing a balancing role. This signifies a structural revolution in military paradigms, shifting from 'human-centric' to 'intelligent networks.'

How to Live in the AI Era?

The AI era is already reshaping all aspects of our lives. AI is rapidly penetrating jobs, education, healthcare, and daily communication, bringing about changes at a pace faster than the Industrial Revolution. Experts advise preparing for this not as a crisis but as an opportunity, focusing on human values such as adaptability, creativity, empathy, and ethical judgment.

Shin Dong-chun, Representative of the National Alliance for Free Unification, Ph.D. in Public Administration, Chairman of the Global Aerospace Industry Association