AI fever sweeps US where 35 trillion won is invested in startups

Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, the largest exhibition hall in New York City near the new popular Hudson Yards in Manhattan, was crowded with thousands of visitors from early morning on Dec. 14 (local time) last year. All eyes were on U.S. cloud service provider Salesforce with a market cap of 320 trillion won. Interested in introducing AI systems, a flock of businesses came to look around Salesforce's enterprise generative AI technologies at World Tour New York. “There is a great deal of hype. Embracing AI technologies seems the only way to go,” said a visitor.

There is a growing trend of AI technologies spreading across everyday lives and industry-specific sectors in the United States, the center of AI fever. As many as 35 trillion won went to AI startups last year. “AI-driven video generation will make a full-fledged start this year,” said Michelle Kwon, head of Operations and Finance at Runway AI.

AI is also under the spotlight at CES 2024, the world's largest information technology exhibition scheduled next Tuesday in Las Vegas. President and CEO Gary Shapiro of the Consumer Technology Association, the organizer of the CES event, emphasized that AI technologies will contribute to every corner of human lives by penetrating smart home, healthcare, fintech, and manufacturing industries. Microsoft showcases a ChatGPT-driven vehicle AI assistant system, while global cosmetics manufacturer L'Oréal releases an AI-run skin-care application.


Hyoun-Soo Kim kimhs@donga.com