Autonomous "RoVOTE" election promotion robots drive along a sidewalk in Seoul, May 19. Serving as more than mobile billboards, the Gangnam District election commission says QR codes displayed on the robots allow passersby to instantly check early voting locations and candidates’ campaign pledges on their smartphones. Yonhap
Parties across Korea’s political spectrum are putting artificial intelligence (AI) at the heart of their campaign promises for the June 3 local elections, signaling a rare consensus that AI will shape everything from growth policy to welfare and public administration.
Every parliamentary party now mentions AI in its official top 10 pledges, with candidates tailoring campaign promises to suit each region, though with different emphases. Proposals range from attracting a United Nations AI center to building AI-based administrative systems and expanding AI-enabled safety nets for older adults.
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) lists its overall AI vision as one of the top three policy priorities of its candidates, promising to deploy the technology to fully realize the nation’s potential and improve public services.
The centerpiece of the party’s plan is using AI not only for economic growth but also in core regional functions such as education and infrastructure. The party says it will help its candidates, if elected, build AI-powered infrastructure by massively expanding computing capacity and data centers — or what it calls an “AI expressway” — enabling universities, research institutes, industry and the state to run advanced AI systems more quickly and at scale. It also pledges to apply AI to classroom teaching as part of a broader push to weave it into everyday public services.
