Over 17,000 Visitors at Seoul AI Festival
25 Robotics and AI Companies Join the Converged Festival
Mayor Oh: "Creating a Virtuous Cycle of Industry and Policy through AI"
More than 17,000 visitors attended the 'Seoul AI Festival 2026,' hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, to experience physical artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Seoul Mayor Oh Sehoon stated, "We will strengthen the urban demonstration and corporate support system so that AI technology can make citizens' lives safer and more convenient."
The event, which took place at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) from February 28 to March 1, presented a 'converged festival model for education, entertainment, and experience' under the theme 'AI Spoke to Me - Physical AI in Everyday Life You Can Feel.' The program combined exhibitions, hands-on activities, lectures, and competitions.
During the 'Talking about Physical AI in Seoul' roundtable held that afternoon, Mayor Oh, Byungsoo Kim, CEO of Robotis, Nammin Cho, CEO of Angel Robotics, and Junghoon Ryu, CEO of Klobot, attended to discuss strategies for creating an ecosystem for the physical AI industry in Seoul. Mayor Oh commented, "While Seoul has led the digital transformation so far, now it must take a step further to become a city where AI truly moves and technology changes daily life." He added, "We will strengthen the urban demonstration and corporate support system so that physical AI technology can make citizens' lives safer and more convenient, and we will establish a structure where industry and policy create a virtuous cycle."
This festival featured participation from 25 robotics and AI companies, creating a total of nine spaces where visitors could experience cutting-edge technologies and robots firsthand, including the Humanoid Zone, Eccentric Science Zone, AI Fun Spot, and AI Life Showroom. The most popular area was the Humanoid Zone, which showcased 17 types of humanoid robots and 23 AI products. The newly unveiled 'Uchibot' presented a flexible dance performance for the first time during the event.
Citizen participation programs, such as the AI Robot Family Competition, AI Writing and Art Contest, Youth AI Art Contest, and Seoul AI Golden Bell, received applications from more than 900 families, with some programs recording a competition rate of 62.5 to 1 and closing early. In addition, the science and engineering YouTube channel 'Geekble,' which has 1.2 million subscribers, operated the Eccentric Science Zone, and citizens could directly operate AI security robots or experience the Internet of Things (IoT).
Kim Manki, Chairman of the Seoul AI Foundation, said, "The Seoul AI Festival provided opportunities to physically experience and feel changes in technology through 'physical AI,' which has been difficult to encounter in real life." He added, "We will continue to lay the foundation for Seoul's emergence as a global AI hub."
Kang Okhyun, Director of the Seoul Digital City Bureau, emphasized, "This event went beyond a technology exhibition to provide citizens with a real sense of the coming 'AI era.'" He continued, "We will systematically foster the industry and implement citizen-oriented policies in parallel to lay the groundwork for 'physical AI' to spread throughout the city."
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