Ministry of Science and ICT and IITP Host Conference
Key Agendas of the AI Transformation (AX) Era Discussed
This year, artificial intelligence (AI) technology demonstrated its potential to become ubiquitous across all industries and society. Looking ahead, there are projections that next year will mark the beginning of a major transformation into 'AX 2.0,' a new era in which the embedding of AI everywhere will drive a productivity revolution.
The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Institute for Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP) are hosting the "AI ICT Industry Technology Outlook Conference" for three days from November 12 to 14 at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul.
Under the theme "Beyond ICT to the Great AI Transformation: Designing a Better Tomorrow and Everyday Life," the conference will broadly discuss the key agendas of the AI transformation (AX) era.
On the first day, Lim Jinguk, Director at IITP, presented the latest trends in AI and ICT, as well as the top 10 issues expected to be significant in 2026. The ten issues are: Agentic AI, Physical AI, AI semiconductors, AI-ready data, the productivity revolution, talent development, security and safety, autonomous communication networks, low-power and high-performance energy, and BIC and quantum technologies that connect the human brain and computers.
Hong Jinbae, President of the Institute for Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation, is delivering the opening remarks at the "AI ICT Industry Technology Outlook Conference" held on the 12th.
Director Lim predicted that the combination of autonomous AI agents and social AI capable of interacting with humans will ultimately lead to the emergence of the "AI persona," a second self.
He also forecast that everything from cars to ships and airplanes will become intelligent, and that humanoids will expand from industrial to service applications. In addition, he expects the competition for AI talent to intensify, and that work innovation will accelerate depending on what AI can and cannot do-such as empathy, coordination, and value judgment.
As concerns grow not only about the misuse of AI but also about AI addiction and dependency, efforts to establish global alliances and legal frameworks for safety mechanisms are gaining momentum. While the race to lead in 6G intensifies, there are also expectations for maximizing performance relative to power consumption, such as the development of high-performance, low-power AI model optimization, and a broad expansion of AI-driven energy waves.
Next year, the convergence of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) and AI is expected to usher in the era of spatial computing. The advent of hybrid quantum computing, which combines the strengths of quantum computers and supercomputers, will mark the beginning of "Quantum AI," characterized by ultra-low power consumption, high-speed computation, and absolute security.
During his opening remarks, Hong Jinbae, President of the Institute for Information and Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation, stated, "After digital transformation (DX), we are now evolving into the AX 2.0 era, where AI is at the core of fundamentally transforming industries and society."
President Hong emphasized, "In an era where AI itself is sovereignty, competition among countries over core sovereign technologies such as AI models and AI semiconductors will become even fiercer. The era of the great AI transformation demands a bold vision to design the future and agile execution to make it a reality."
He concluded, "I hope that through today's event, we can all work together to create the innovation milestones that will guide us into the AX era."
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