Gwangju City Holds Inaugural Ceremony for 'Artificial Intelligence Industry-Academia-Research Council'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 3rd that it held the launch ceremony and the first meeting of the "Gwangju Metropolitan City AI Industry Academia-Research Council for Implementing the Gwangju-type Artificial Intelligence Business Model" at the city hall's medium conference room.

The council is a private-led organization established to develop the artificial intelligence industry, which Gwangju City is focusing on as a future key industry in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution.

It consists of 21 organizations including Incord P&P, TmaxSoft, Saltlux, which recently relocated to Gwangju, AI-related companies in the region, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Chonnam National University, Korea Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute, and other local companies, universities, and research institutions related to artificial intelligence.

The council will play a pivotal role in the private sector in line with Gwangju City's AI industry initiatives by securing competitiveness in the AI industry through close cooperation among member companies, promoting AI technology development and commercialization through research exchanges, and conducting policy research for the development of the AI industry.

The meeting proceeded with a report on the current status of Gwangju's AI industry by Lim Jong-seok, head of the AI Technology Support Center at Gwangju Technopark, suggestions for AI company support policies, and discussions on countermeasures for AI industry development.

Since January, Gwangju has been leading efforts to create a successful AI ecosystem, starting with the announcement of the vision and promotion strategy for Gwangju as an AI-centered city and the promotion of the AI industry convergence complex project, with related institutions and companies confirming or inquiring about relocating to Gwangju.

Going forward, the city plans to actively support companies, local research institutions, and universities that wish to develop AI technologies and collaborate by building a cooperative network, discovering detailed tasks, and promoting technology development and transfer, which will create synergy effects linked to all industries.

Son Kyung-jong, director of Gwangju City's AI Industry Bureau, said, "Gwangju has the conditions to integrate AI technology with local industries such as automobiles, energy, and healthcare, so we expect that the newly launched 'AI Industry Academia-Research Council' will play a significant role in leading the future AI industry."