[Edaily Reporter Yun Junghoon ] New variables—politics, national security, and profitability—have emerged amid the growth of the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. In the United States, which has led the race for AI supremacy with astronomical investments, the Democratic Party’s victory in the midterm elections has increased the likelihood of stricter regulations on data centers. With controversy surrounding NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang also coming to the fore, the AI semiconductor supply chain and national security issues are once again drawing attention.

Another key issue is whether the industry can generate returns commensurate with the massive investments made by Big Tech. Debates over an “AI bubble” and profitability continue as companies grapple with when and how to recoup the capital invested in data centers and GPUs.

However, this does not mean the AI industry’s growth momentum has stalled. AI is evolving beyond simply providing knowledge and information to a stage where it performs actual tasks. Its scope of application is also expanding across industries such as manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and science. Going forward, competitiveness is expected to hinge not on how many GPUs a company secures, but on its ability to translate AI into productivity and economic value.

Amid these changes, the 13th E-Daily Global AI Forum (GAIF 2026), which seeks to explore response strategies for South Korea’s AI industry, is being held today at the JW Marriott Dongdaemun in Seoul. Under the theme “AI That Moves the World: Beyond Humans, Toward Industry and the Economy,” domestic and international AI experts and executives from major companies will engage in wide-ranging discussions covering everything from the evolution of AI technology to infrastructure investment and industry-specific commercialization strategies.

Ha Jeong-woo, Vice Chairman of the National AI Strategy Committee, is expected to emphasize that while there may be a slowdown in AI data center investments following the U.S. midterm elections, the importance of infrastructure remains undiminished. Regarding concerns over GPU supply that arose following the Jensen Huang controversy, he is expected to clarify that there are no delays in the plan to secure 260,000 units domestically and that South Korea is collaborating with AMD, in addition to NVIDIA and Rebellion.

Noah Goodman, a professor at Stanford University, will deliver the first keynote speech on the topic “Symbiosis: How Humans and AI Can Prosper Together,” shedding light on how humans and AI can collaborate in the era of superintelligence. He plans to outline a direction where AI goes beyond simply replacing human work to understanding human intent and social context, thereby working together to solve problems.

AI infrastructure and service strategies are also key agenda items. Kim Bong-kyun, Head of the Enterprise Division at KTCorporation, will present an end-to-end (E2E) infrastructure strategy connecting AI data centers (AIDCs) with domestic backbone networks, international networks, and submarine cables. He will also outline plans to secure an AIDC supply capacity of over 1 GW by 2031.

Kim Ji-hoon, Executive Vice President at SKTelecom, will present a strategy for Agent AI that performs actual tasks, while Song Jae-ha, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Kakao, will present the KakaoTalk-based AI agent ecosystem and Kananana Space. Yoo Kyung-beom, Executive Vice President at Naver Cloud, will discuss defense-focused sovereign AI, and Kim Young-jun, Head of Robot Software Platform at LGELECTRONICS, will cover world models—the foundational technology for physical AI.

The event will also examine trends in AI investment and commercialization. Park Yeon-ju, Head of the AI Research Center at MIRAE ASSET SECURITIES, will analyze the direction of the global AI revolution and investment opportunities. Lim Jeong-hwan, CEO of Motif Technologies, will present business models and competitive strategies for monetizing AI technology. Motif recently secured investment from NVIDIA.

Lee Min-hyung, CEO of Asteromoph, will introduce an AI inference engine designed for scientific discovery. He plans to highlight the potential for AI to derive new hypotheses during the scientific research process and develop them into technological assets.

The 7th E-Daily AI Korea Daesang ceremony will also be held in conjunction with the forum. This year, 65 companies applied across various fields, including AI models and infrastructure, smart factories, Agent AI, semiconductors, and physical AI.

The Minister of Science and ICT Award goes to LabUp and Panasia; the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award goes to CMES Robotics; the Minister of SMEs and Startups Award goes to Aim Intelligence; and the Minister of Health and Welfare Award goes to Coreline Soft Co., Ltd. The E-Daily Chairman’s Award goes to KoreaElectricPower Corporation (KEPCO).