On July 1, 2024, the Electronics and Communications Research Institute (ETRI) announced a partnership with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) to develop an AI-based policy intelligence system.

Korean researchers from ETRI are initiating this project to enhance public decision-making for local governments.

ETRI is focused on generating high-quality policy intelligence using social and economic big data and AI technology to propose and verify public policies.

Lee Yeon-hee from ETRI emphasized that this collaboration will enhance capabilities in modeling and predicting sustainable policies.

The partnership aims to create a virtual nation model that simulates economic frameworks, facilitating experimental approaches to complex policy issues.

Technologies like digital twins will be utilized to simulate and forecast policies based on real-time economic data in a virtual environment.

AI decision-making agents will conduct experiments to identify the most effective policies using synchronized macro and micro economic data.

The collaboration will focus on addressing global challenges such as population growth, climate change, and environmental issues, starting with the Macro Agent-Based Model (MABM).

MABM focuses on understanding macro-economic phenomena through the behaviors and interactions of individual agents.

The goal of this initiative is to support effective public policy implementation and foster the development of sustainable technologies.

IIASA, founded in 1972 and based in Austria, conducts interdisciplinary research to provide policy insights on global challenges like climate change and sustainable development.

ETRI specializes in analyzing national economic phenomena and developing AI technologies for policy decision-making, while IIASA addresses complex issues through advanced system analysis.