尴尬：韩国押注“主权 AI”，却发现本土大模型用了中国开源代码

Core Insights - South Korea aims to develop its own AI large models but has faced challenges as domestic models have been found to use code from Chinese companies, highlighting the difficulty of reducing reliance on major tech giants from China and the US [1][11]. Group 1: Competition and Development - The South Korean government initiated a competition in June last year to create a new, independent AI model using domestic technology, which is crucial for ensuring technological autonomy amid a global landscape dominated by the US and China [3][13]. - In this three-year competition, three out of five finalist companies were found to have used parts of foreign AI models' open-source code, including Chinese models, raising concerns about the feasibility of developing entirely independent models [3][13]. - Experts argue that avoiding existing AI models and attempting to build everything from scratch is impractical, while critics warn that using foreign tools poses potential security risks and undermines the hope of nurturing truly domestic AI models [3][13]. Group 2: Controversies and Reactions - Upstage, one of the finalist companies, faced controversy when it was claimed that parts of its AI model were similar to the open-source model from Chinese company Zhizhu AI, with allegations that some code retained Zhizhu AI's copyright markings [5][16]. - Upstage held a live verification session to demonstrate that its model was developed from scratch, although it acknowledged that its inference code used elements derived from Zhizhu AI's open-source components, which are widely adopted globally [8][18]. - The controversy has led to stricter scrutiny of other finalist models, with Naver's AI model being criticized for similarities with products from Alibaba and OpenAI, and SK Telecom facing criticism for its inference code being similar to that of Chinese company DeepSeek [8][18]. Group 3: Government and Regulatory Response - The competition rules did not clearly state whether the use of foreign companies' open-source code was allowed, and the South Korean Ministry of Science has not issued new guidelines since the controversy arose [10][19]. - The Minister of Science welcomed the intense discussions surrounding the technology debate, viewing it as a sign of a bright future for South Korea's AI industry [10][19]. - The Ministry plans to eliminate one of the five finalist companies as originally scheduled, despite the ongoing scrutiny and debate [10][19].