Restrictions on Anthropic underscore need for sovereign AI: Upstage CEO

US has ordered Anthropic to disable access to its most advanced AI platforms for all foreign nationals after discovering it's possible to 'jailbreak' or bypass the guardrails of new Fable 5 AI model

By Yoolim Lee

 

The US directive to restrict foreign access to Anthropic PBC’s most advanced technologies underscores the importance of South Korea’s sovereign artificial intelligence efforts, according to the head of a leading domestic AI startup.

 

“AI is no longer just a service or a tool we use; it has become a strategic national asset,” Sung Kim, chief executive officer of Upstage, told reporters at a media briefing in Seoul on Tuesday. Countries that control foundational AI technologies, such as the US and China, can curtail access at any time, he said. “We need to advance our own technology as quickly as possible and become as self-reliant as we can.”

 

 

The US last week ordered Anthropic to disable access to its most advanced AI platforms for all foreign nationals after discovering it’s possible to “jailbreak,” or bypass the guardrails, of the new Fable 5 AI model. That prompted world leaders including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to warn of the risks of depending on just a handful of AI tools.

 

South Korea last year launched a government-backed competition aimed at identifying national AI champions and accelerating the country’s ambitions to become a global AI powerhouse. The field has since been narrowed to four companies: LG AI Research, Motif Technologies, SK Telecom Co. and Upstage. They will compete in the next round of evaluations in August and two winners are expected to be selected by early next year.

 

The initiative includes government support in the form of graphics processing units and other resources for domestic AI developers. The program is designed to ensure that South Korea can continue developing advanced AI models independently, regardless of policy changes by foreign governments or technology providers.

 

“We view the government-led initiative that began last year to support GPU resources through the Sovereign AI project as both timely and important,” Kim said. “Through the upcoming rounds, we expect to deliver AI models and capabilities that will satisfy the public, and we are working hard to make that happen.”

 

Upstage on Tuesday announced its business strategy to combine its AI models, AI agents and consumer portal into a single platform aimed at bringing AI to the general public. Upstage recently acquired web portal Daum from Kakao Corp.