South Korea's science ministry disclosed the full detailed scores from the second-stage evaluation of its "sovereign AI foundation model" program on the 27th, after the results drew controversy. The move came at the request of Motif Technologies, one of the teams eliminated in the round.
According to the Ministry of Science and ICT, SK Telecom's (017670) elite team finished first with 70.6 points. Upstage followed with 69.9 points, LG AI Research with 69.0 points and Motif with 65.8 points.
The evaluation was scored out of 100 points, combining benchmark tests (25 points from AAII and 15 points from NIA), expert reviews (35 points) and user assessments (15 points from professional users and 10 points from members of the general public).
By category, Motif ranked first in the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index (AAII) assessment, which applies global standards, with 11.9 points. Upstage came next at 9.4 points, followed by SK Telecom at 8.8 points and LG AI Research at 7.8 points. In the benchmark test run by the National Information Society Agency (NIA), which covered seven areas including Korean-language performance and reliability, SK Telecom scored highest at 13.4 points, ahead of Upstage at 13.3 points, LG AI Research at 12.8 points and Motif at 12.7 points.
In the expert review, conducted by 10 outside specialists from industry, academia and research institutes, LG AI Research earned the highest score at 29.5 points. SK Telecom followed with 29.3 points, Upstage with 29.1 points and Motif with 27.1 points.
Among the user assessments, which measured practical usability, SK Telecom ranked first in the professional user category with 11.6 points, based on reviews by 49 AI startup chief executives. LG AI Research placed second at 11.3 points, Upstage third at 10.8 points and Motif fourth at 8.4 points. In the public evaluation panel, which involved 185 members of the general public, LG AI Research scored highest at 7.6 points, followed by SK Telecom at 7.5 points, Upstage at 7.3 points and Motif at 5.7 points.
The ministry said it will handle Motif's objection to its elimination under established procedures and issue a final decision within 15 days.
