Gyeongbuk Province Invests 3 Billion KRW to Establish a Shared Open Platform in Andong

Gyeongbuk Province, together with Andong National University and Gyeongbuk Provincial University, held an opening ceremony for the K-Hightech Platform AI STATION, a platform that supports digital training and shares and opens all resources to various users, at the AI STATION in Ok-dong, Andong City.

The opening ceremony held on the 18th was attended by about 50 people, including Kwon Ki-chang, Mayor of Andong, Jeong Tae-ju, President of Andong National University, Kim Sang-dong, President of Gyeongbuk Provincial University, and Lee Jeong-woo, Director of the Gyeongbuk Metaverse Science Bureau.

Gyeongbuk Provincial Government Office.

At the ceremony, they announced the platform project operation plan and operational strategies according to the development of region-specific educational programs, and experienced various artificial intelligence technologies such as deepfake and metaverse image generation demonstrations.

AI STATION was selected as a national public project last year and will receive a project budget of 3 billion KRW (fully funded by the national government) over five years from 2023 to 2027. It is jointly operated by Andong National University and Gyeongbuk Provincial University.

AI STATION provides full free support for various infrastructures (facilities and equipment) so that anyone can acquire and utilize digital skills, and offers customized programs at different levels for digital transformation (seminars, lectures, education, competitions, etc.).

In addition, starting this year, Gyeongbuk Province will carry out the ‘Gyeongbuk AI Professional Workforce Development Project,’ which provides in-depth understanding and experience of cloud-based artificial intelligence technology to digital majors and job seekers, and trains experts needed by the industry.

Beginning with a project briefing session in April, the June launch ceremony will feature a special lecture titled ‘Introduction to AI through Kaggle’ by Son Ho-yeol, the 2023 Kaggle Competitions winner and Youth Director of the Korea Science and Space Youth Corps.

Also, related to the ‘Gyeongbuk International AI Metaverse Film Festival’ to be held in June, there will be education on AI and metaverse video and film production processes as well as AI drawing technique content creation.

Lee Jeong-woo, Director of the Gyeongbuk Metaverse Science Bureau, said, “The opening of the K-Hightech Platform AI STATION will be a great leap forward in strengthening the digital capabilities of the local community and nurturing future talents,” adding, “It is expected to establish a foundation for Gyeongbuk Province’s digital transformation and open a new chapter in digital education and workforce development within the region.”