“I’m going to a cafe now, to meet Artificial Intelligence” Dongui Science University Opens ‘AI Cafe’

Opening Ceremony on the 4th at Campus, AI Zone & VR Zone Future-Classrooms, Available for Elementary, Middle, High Schools and Public

Busan Mayor Park Hyung-jun Attends, 'Open Campus Meeting' and 'AI Education Workshop' Held Simultaneously

AI Cafe Opening at Dong-Eui Science University.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A cafe that ‘breaks your thoughts’ is coming to the university campus.

It is not unusual to see various cafes opening on campus, but Dong-Eui Institute of Technology in Busan is set to introduce an innovative cafe where you can enjoy future content.

Like a cup of coffee, this cafe’s ‘trade’ product is making complex artificial intelligence easy to access and fun to learn.

Dong-Eui Institute of Technology (President Kim Young-do) announced on the 3rd that it will hold an opening ceremony for the ‘AI Cafe,’ where visitors can more easily access and experience artificial intelligence, a core of the 4th Industrial Revolution, at the university’s Industry-Academia Cooperation Center at 3 p.m. on the 4th.

The AI Cafe opening ceremony will be attended by President Kim Young-do and Busan Mayor Park Hyung-joon. About 30 officials from government, industry, and academia will attend, including Kim Kwang-soo, Director of Education at Busan Metropolitan Office of Education; Son Seung-ho, Principal of Computer Science High School; Yoon Hye-jung, Principal of Busan SW Meister High School; Jung Chung-kyo, Chairman of Busan Information Technology Association; Shin Hyung-seop, Chairman of the Busan Branch of the Korea Artificial Intelligence Association; Oh Joon-cheol, Chairman of the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Branch of the Korea Industrial Intelligence Association; Kang Cheol-soo, Chairman of the Taeyang Association of the Busan Federation of Small and Medium Business Convergence; Ryu Hyun-je, Secretary General of Busan Robot Industry Association; Kim Hee-dong, CEO of Smart Social Co., Ltd.; and Kim Dae-hee, CEO of Samwoo Immersion Co., Ltd.

The event will proceed with the AI Cafe ribbon-cutting ceremony at Dong-Eui Institute of Technology, a greeting from President Kim Young-do, congratulatory remarks from Mayor Park Hyung-joon, a tour of university facilities, followed by an ‘Open Campus Meeting’ and a ‘Workshop for Revitalizing AI Education in Busan.’

The AI Cafe, located on the first floor of the university’s Industry-Academia Cooperation Center, covers a total area of 165 square meters (50 pyeong). It is an experiential space where students can engage with artificial intelligence more easily and enjoyably, and a learning space offering tiered education on core technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution such as artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and big data.

The AI Cafe consists of an AI Zone and a VR Zone. In the AI Zone, visitors can experience AI devices based on vision recognition and voice recognition.

Various innovative equipment incorporating AI technology, such as AI autonomous vehicles, AI speakers, and AI drones, are on display, along with student award-winning projects including the ‘Automatic Identification AI System for Mask Non-Wearers to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19,’ which won the grand prize at the nationwide university student hackathon hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT.

The VR Zone features a VR-based simulator where visitors can experience actual disaster scenes.

Students wear VR equipment such as headsets and controllers to virtually experience various disaster environments including typhoons, earthquakes, fires, and water-related incidents, learning and practicing safe emergency response methods and action guidelines in urgent disaster situations.

Currently, about 10 types of VR content are available, and plans are in place to expand various experiential convergence contents linked to academic departments in the future.

The cafe operates block coding-based AI coding education to help non-majors become familiar with AI, breaking away from the limitations of traditional lecture-style classes.

Additionally, the AI Cafe will be open not only to enrolled students but also to local elementary, middle, and high school students and the general public, providing AI experience and coding education, thereby serving as a platform to promote future-oriented education.

After the opening ceremony, the ‘Open Campus Meeting’ hosted by Busan City will be held from 3:50 p.m. at the Convention Hall on the 5th floor of the Jinri Building on campus.

The Open Campus Meeting is designed for the Busan Mayor to visit the university and communicate with school, student, and corporate representatives to share industry-academia cooperation policies and seek sustainable development together.

The first session will be at Dong-Eui Institute of Technology. About 30 participants from Busan City, the university, and industry will attend, and a 30-minute free discussion for sharing industry-academia cooperation policies is planned.

The ‘Workshop for Revitalizing AI Education in Busan,’ co-hosted by Dong-Eui Institute of Technology and Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, will also be held from 3:50 p.m. in Room 111 of the Industry-Academia Cooperation Center.

Jeon Mi-soon, Deputy General Manager of Raon People Co., Ltd., will give a special lecture on the theme of ‘Artificial Intelligence Education in the Industrial Field,’ expected to be a broad platform for communication and discussion on AI education.