Pohang City Seeks Smart City Solutions in the Age of AI... Pohang AP Forum Held

Special Lecture by President Jaehho Yeom on "The New Normal and Smart Cities in the AI Era"
Reviewing Directions for Building a "Pohang-Style Smart City" Linked to the National AI Computing Center

On June 8, at the POSCO International Center, the Pohang AP Forum was held, where Jaehho Yeom, President of Taejae University and Vice Chair of the National AI Committee, delivered a special lecture on the topic of "The New Normal and Smart Cities in the AI Era."

On the 8th, a special lecture was held by inviting Yeom Jaeho, president of Taejae University, at the Pohang AP Forum held at the POSCO International Hall. Provided by Pohang City

The forum was attended by key institutional leaders including Lee Kangdeok, Mayor of Pohang; Kim Ilman, Chair of the Pohang City Council; Kim Seonggeun, President of POSTECH; and Choi Doseong, President of Handong University, as well as over 100 participants from RIST, Pohang Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Steel Management Corporation. They engaged in in-depth discussions on the societal changes and the future of cities that artificial intelligence (AI) will bring.

President Yeom emphasized, "It is urgent to design a new social system suited to the AI era," diagnosing that "the advent of digital transformation and network-based society is restructuring the existing order across all sectors, including industry, education, and healthcare."

Regarding smart cities, he explained, "The digitalization of cities is accelerating with telemedicine, smart homes, and autonomous transportation. A smart city should not be merely a collection of technologies, but rather an answer to how we design a human-centered life."

He particularly analyzed that the spread of remote work, small-scale office formats, and the 30-hour workweek demonstrates a break from the traditional mass-production-based social structure, stressing that now is the time to establish new social norms suited to the 'new normal.'

As Vice Chair of the National AI Committee, President Yeom also cautioned against relying solely on technological optimism, explaining that AI is merely a tool and its utilization depends on human philosophy and imagination.

President Jaehho Yeom is a respected figure in the field of education, holding a Ph.D. in Political Science from Stanford University and having served as President of Korea University. He is currently leading future-oriented educational discourse as President of Taejae University in response to the AI era.

Taejae University, under President Yeom's leadership, is gaining attention as a model that emphasizes talent discovery over entrance exams and imagination over rote memorization, pioneering an educational paradigm fit for the AI era.

Mayor Lee Kangdeok stated, "The insightful lecture provided many implications for the urban strategies and directions Pohang should pursue in the age of artificial intelligence," adding, "It was a meaningful opportunity to comprehensively examine the potential impacts of the National AI Computing Center, which Pohang is striving to attract, on the local community and industry as a whole."

Based on this forum, Pohang City plans to share urban strategies suitable for the AI era with the local community and to use it as an opportunity to review the direction for building a 'Pohang-style smart city' in connection with the National AI Computing Center currently being attracted.

To proactively respond to the age of artificial intelligence, the city established a dedicated department, the Digital Convergence Industry Division, in July 2023, and in November of the same year, declared the "AI Leading City Gyeongbuk Pohang Vision."

Subsequently, Pohang has been steadily laying the policy foundation for attracting the National AI Computing Center by launching a public-private AI Innovation Committee, building an AI company alliance, enacting support ordinances, and creating funds.