A Gathering of 1,000 AI Talents: "Competitiveness Lies in Talent" – Vision Declaration for Industry-Academia Cooperation

Ministry of Science and ICT Hosts 'AI Innovative Talent Connect' at COEX
'AI Talent Development Support Strategy' to Be Formulated

An event was held where 1,000 participants, including universities, companies, and researchers in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), gathered to share the achievements of cultivating innovative AI talent and to discuss future visions.

Paik Kun-hoon, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT, is delivering the opening speech at the '2026 Korea AI Innovation Talent Connect' held on the morning of the 29th at The Platz, COEX, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Ministry of Science and ICT.

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced on July 29 that it will host the '2026 Korea AI Innovative Talent Connect' at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, for three days until July 31.

This event, which has been held annually since 2020, serves as a platform for exchange among about 1,000 innovative AI talents from universities (including graduate schools), companies, and researchers participating in major AI talent development programs supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT. It is designed to share the outcomes of the AI talent cultivation projects and to discuss future visions and directions.

At the opening ceremony, more than 20 participants, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Baek Kang-hoon, the president of the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation, major AI companies and research institutes, and universities, held a signing ceremony for the 'Vision Declaration for AI Talent Fostering through Industry-Academia Cooperation,' reaffirming their commitment to collaboration.

In his opening address, Deputy Prime Minister Baek stated, "The core of the AI competition lies in securing talent who can solve problems in real industrial settings," and added, "We will continue to support AI talents through ongoing cooperation with universities and companies, enabling them to pursue challenging research and stable growth."

Deputy Prime Minister Baek visited exhibition booths where 22 universities and nine companies were participating, examined outstanding research achievements, and listened to presentations by graduate students on their research results. He also held a roundtable discussion with key representatives from industry, academia, and research institutes to discuss the future direction of AI talent cultivation. Opinions were exchanged on the competencies needed for data centers and physical AI, the type of AI talent sought by industry, and the direction of cooperation between universities and companies.

Based on feedback from this roundtable and on-site discussions, the Ministry of Science and ICT plans to formulate the 'AI Talent Development Support Strategy,' which will specify the direction and support system for nurturing AI talent.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.