AI Auto Summary
South Korea’s media sector is entering 2026 with AI no longer treated as a side experiment but as a central operating strategy. Public broadcasters and government-backed institutions are moving from concept demonstrations to system-level adoption, applying AI to production workflows, newsroom tools, platform infrastructure, and audience-facing services. The shift is visible across multiple fronts: KBS is tying AI to efficiency, creativity, and public trust; EBS is redesigning programming around AI-generated educational formats; and industry discussion is expanding beyond engineering to ethics, editorial standards, and competitiveness. Taken together, these moves suggest Korea is trying to build an AI-native broadcasting model rather than simply digitize legacy television. Source Source
The policy foundation for this transition was laid earlier, when the Ministry of Science and ICT confirmed a KRW 136.3 billion Digital Media Innovation Technology Development Project for 2026 to 2030. The program is designed to unify fragmented R&D efforts and strengthen three areas: AI-enabled media production, online media service platforms, and digital services linked to broadcasting infrastructure. Officials have framed the initiative as a way to help domestic broadcasters, IPTV operators, and OTT platforms compete in a market shaped by rising production costs and international platform pressure. In practical terms, the investment aims to rework the entire media value chain, from planning and production to transmission, viewing data, and commercialization. Source