[Edaily Reporter LEE SEON-WOO ] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is seeking ways to advance urban administration, policy, infrastructure, and the industrial ecosystem through the use of AI (artificial intelligence) and data. This effort will take place at the “2026 Seoul Big Data Forum,” to be held on the 6th and 7th of next month at COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul, under the theme “Seoul: Thinking as an AI Agent and Acting as Physical AI.”
Organized by the University of Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Seoul Research Institute, and the Seoul AI Foundation, this event—now in its eighth year—aims to explore future innovation strategies for the city using AI and data. During the same period, “Smart Life Week” (June 6–8), featuring participation from approximately 500 domestic and international cities and companies, will be held concurrently in the exhibition halls (Halls A and B) on the first floor of COEX. Attendees will also have the opportunity to see and experience the agentic and physical AI technologies discussed at the forum firsthand.

The forum, which will take place on the 6th of next month starting at 1:30 p.m. in Room 308 of the South Conference Hall on the 3rd floor of COEX, will feature 20 domestic and international experts as speakers and panelists across five sessions over two days. The keynote speeches will be delivered by world-renowned robotics expert Professor Dennis Hong of UCLA and Professor Per-Ola Kristensson of the University of Cambridge, a global authority in human-AI interaction.
In the first keynote address, Professor Dennis Hong will analyze how cities are evolving into physical AI learning and validation platforms, with a focus on humanoids. He will also present a vision and roadmap for Seoul to emerge as a global hub for physical AI. Professor Per-Ola Kristensson will deliver a keynote titled “Expanding Human Capabilities Through AI,” introducing use cases where AI extends human input, control, and memory while reimagining ways of thinking.
An official from the University of Seoul explained, “Both keynote speeches focused on the scalability of AI—which goes beyond simple digital technology to reshape cities, industries, and human capabilities.” The official added, “This will be an opportunity to witness the new landscape of AI competition, which is expanding beyond algorithms and data to encompass the physical space of cities and people’s daily lives.”

The five thematic presentations spanning the two-day event will also offer insights into the diverse ways cities are changing in the context of AI. Session topics range widely, from AI-based smart cities to changes in the business environment and collective deliberation platforms that accommodate diverse opinions.
On the first day, Philip Gerard, Head of New Growth Areas for Asia-Pacific at Nokia, and Son Byung-hee, CEO of Maum AI, will present the future direction of smart cities—connecting urban data to real-time decision-making and action through mission-critical networks and agentic and physical AI. On the second day, Yoo Eung-jun, CEO of JOON AI Consulting, will present on “Changes in the Business Paradigm in the Era of Agent-Based AI”; Takayuki Ito, a professor at Kyoto University, will speak on “AI That Mediates Human Discussions”; and Ji Da-young, a senior executive at Lotte Card, will discuss “Innovating Card Consumption Data with AI.”
Participation in the 2026 Seoul Big Data Forum is free of charge, and registration is available online via the forum’s website until the 4th of next month.