Busan Urban Corporation Holds 'Urban AI Implementation Policy Direction Tasks' Smart BOOK Morning

Special Lecture by Associate Research Fellow Lee Sewon of the Spatial Information Society Research Division, Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements

Busan Metropolitan City Corporation (BMC, President Kim Yong-hak) announced on the 5th that it held the 25th meeting of the learning group ‘Smart BOOK Morning’ on the 30th, aimed at creating a smart city and an airport complex city.

‘Smart BOOK Morning’ is a gathering held every last Wednesday of the month from 7:30 to 9:00 a.m., where about 40 employees and executives, including Im Mal-sook, a member of the Busan City Council Smart Living Lab, and participants from various fields, come together to listen to lectures and study various topics for the development of Busan. The group started about two years ago with the first lecture by BMC President Kim Yong-hak and has strengthened employee capabilities through a total of 25 lectures and 2 field trips.

This event was conducted with a special lecture by Dr. Lee Se-won from the Spatial Information Society Research Division of the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements, under the theme “Policy Directions and Tasks for Implementing Urban AI.”

Busan Urban Corporation Holds 'Urban AI Implementation Policy Direction Tasks' Smart BOOK Morning

Busan Urban Corporation is hosting the Smart BOOK Morning event on "Policy Directions and Tasks for Implementing Urban AI."

Dr. Lee Se-won, who earned a Ph.D. in Urban Planning from Seoul National University, has participated in establishing the 7th National Spatial Information Policy Basic Plan and research on policy tasks for implementing urban AI. As an urban planning expert, he has worked at the Korea Land and Geospatial Informatix Corporation and the Korea Institute of Architectural Culture, and is currently conducting research as an associate researcher at the Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements.

Dr. Lee explained the emergence and development process of Urban AI, emphasizing that smart cities should prioritize providing comprehensive digital technologies to create optimized cities from a technological perspective.

He added that most AI technologies currently applied in the public sector are limited to conversational chatbots, and it is expected to take time before more in-depth technologies are introduced. He also shared opinions on ways to naturally and deeply integrate AI into citizens’ lives, citing Finland’s Aurora AI program as an example, and continued the discussion on the necessity and limitations of data centers.

Members participating in the event took time to think from various angles about ways BMC can introduce and utilize AI and the impact data centers may have on the local community.

Kim Yong-hak, President of Busan Metropolitan City Corporation, said, “Smart BOOK Morning has come this far thanks to the voluntary and active participation of employees over a long period, laying the foundation for the development of Busan,” and added, “The corporation will proactively introduce AI technology and continue to strive for the convenience and happiness of Busan citizens.”