The government on Thursday discussed ways to strengthen the competitiveness of the country's humanoid robot industry in a special meeting with officials from robotics companies and industry experts, the industry ministry said. The meeting, convened by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources, gathered companies participating in the Manufacturing AI Alliance (M.AX), including Hyundai Motor, Robros and Yuil Robotics, as well as robotics experts from research institutes and the academia. M.AX is a government-led alliance launched last year to connect major companies with artificial intelligence firms to foster AI transformation of manufacturing industries. The alliance aims to develop a foundation AI model for humanoid robots for industrial use by 2028 and begin producing at least 1,000 robots annually from 2029. In Thursday's meeting, government and private industry officials discussed various measures to advance Korea's humanoid robot ecosystem, such as the independent development of core robot equipments and streamlining of regulations, with a goal of making the country one of the t