South Korea pushes AI-driven manufacturing and agriculture reforms

South Korea’s government has released a “Manufacturing AI 2030 Strategy” that outlines a roadmap for integrating artificial intelligence across the entire production chain. The plan, coordinated by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Ministry of SMEs and Start‑ups, targets three core tasks: establishing a national system for managing and using manufacturing data, developing AI “brains” tailored to the sector, and expanding AI adoption in regional factories. It also calls for legal and regulatory measures to address the risks of physical AI systems that operate alongside humans.

At the same time, the AFPRO 2026 exhibition in Seoul highlighted how AI and robotics are reshaping the agri‑food sector. More than 200 startups demonstrated technologies ranging from smart farms that use physical AI to automate planting and harvesting, to AI‑driven food‑tech that shortens flavor‑development cycles. Government officials, including the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, emphasized support for startups and the broader AI‑enabled value chain, from production to distribution and consumer experience. The event underscored the shift from data‑only AI to “physical AI” that performs tasks in real‑world environments, signaling a comprehensive AI transformation across Korean industry.