"We Will Leap Forward as One of the Top Three AI Powerhouses"
Special Discussion with Professor Jerry Kaplan
Retraining Needed as Job Patterns Change
Seoul is emerging as a 'Global AI (Artificial Intelligence) Innovation Leading City.' The city plans to nurture 10,000 talents annually and expand the hub supporting AI startups to 10 times its current size to create an 'AI Tech City.' Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon stated in a discussion with experts that efforts will be made to provide retraining so that people can adapt to the changing nature of jobs due to AI.
On the morning of the 11th, at 'AI SEOUL 2025' held at COEX in Seoul, Mayor Oh announced seven core strategic tasks containing these plans. Referring to 'DeepSeek,' which shocked the world at the beginning of the new year, Mayor Oh said, "From this case, I saw hope that we can leap forward as one of the top three AI powerhouses. We must now reorganize everything around AI."
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is delivering a vision presentation titled "Global AI Innovation City, Seoul" at 'AI SEOUL 2025' held at COEX, Seoul on the 11th. Provided by Seoul City
The city will support the AI industry in various aspects such as talent, infrastructure, and investment. It will nurture 10,000 AI talents annually, including 4,000 from the Youth Employment Academy and 6,000 university talents, and establish scholarships totaling about 600 million KRW for master's programs in AI and other STEM fields.
In the Yangjae AI Innovation District, a 'Seoul AI Tech City' with a total floor area of 270,000㎡ will be built. This is 10 times the size of the AI Hub opened in May last year. It will be a mixed-use complex space featuring domestic and international graduate schools, research institutions, cultural and residential spaces, and is scheduled to begin construction in 2028.
Additionally, aggressive investments will be made, including establishing an AI fund of 500 billion KRW starting this year. Infrastructure support essential for AI technology development, such as GPUs, will also be expanded. Mayor Oh said, "Korea's AI investment is woefully insufficient compared to leading countries; current private investment is only about 2% of that in the U.S. The public sector must support AI-based research and applied research projects through aggressive investment."
Furthermore, through cooperation with global big tech companies, the city will support domestic AI companies' entry into overseas markets and promote convergence with Seoul's four future core industries: bio, robotics, fintech, and other strategic industries. To popularize AI, 'Seoul AI Festa' will be held in March, and 'Smart Life Week (SLW) 2025' in October. To serve as an AI control tower, the Seoul Digital Foundation will be reorganized into the Seoul AI Foundation.
AI Changes Job Patterns... Oh Se-hoon: "Accelerating Retraining"
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is having a conversation with Professor Jerry Kaplan of Stanford University (on screen) and Dean Kim Young-oh of Seoul National University College of Engineering (left) at 'AI SEOUL 2025' held at COEX on the 11th, discussing how AI will bring changes to our society in the future. Provided by Seoul City
After the vision announcement, Mayor Oh held a special discussion on AI technology with Professor Jerry Kaplan of Stanford University, USA, author of 'Humans Need Not Apply' and 'Artificial Intelligence: The Future.'
In the discussion, Professor Kaplan said, "One of the key technologies of the future will be the ability to effectively utilize AI systems. Those who know how to get the best results from such systems will be more productive, and demand for these people will be high." He also referred to the early days of the internet, saying, "People with skills in internet research, website development, and internet advertising emerged. I expect the same in the AI field."
He highly evaluated the vision announced by Seoul City that day. Professor Kaplan said, "Mayor Oh's announcement is very wise and right. The reason I am not worried that Korea is a latecomer in AI is that Korean companies have already proven multiple times that they can succeed. With typically Korean technology and efficiency, they can surpass others."
Mayor Oh emphasized adapting to changes in the AI era, mentioning the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He said, "Like the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Professor Kaplan predicted that the nature of jobs will change with AI, not the number of jobs, and I agree with that." He added, "What local governments must do is continuous retraining for changes in the nature and content of jobs. We are increasing investment to help the workforce adapt to changes in job content brought by cutting-edge technological changes."
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