Seoul to host 'Smart Life Week' tech expo next monthAI and Big Data to Shape the Future of Cities ‘Seoul Big Data Forum’ on Novermber 11

By Min-ha Lee, EDaily News – The 'Seoul Big Data Forum' will be held on November 11 at the COEX Conference Hall E (3rd floor) in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul Institute, Seoul Digital Foundation, University of Seoul, and Statistics Korea, the international event aims to explore solutions to urban issues by utilizing big data and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. The forum will bring together domestic and international experts from academia, as well as major corporations like Apple, Naver, LIG Systems, and Samsung Medical Center to share various case studies on big data and AI development.

The Seoul Institute is leading this year’s forum, with the theme “Big Data and AI Opening the Future: A Better Tomorrow for Seoul.” While last year’s forum focused on generative AI technology and its applications in light of ChatGPT’s emergence, this year will return to its core focus on AI and big data. A forum spokesperson mentioned, “We plan to present how big data impacts daily life in a way that the general public can easily understand, while also seeking solutions to urban problems using big data.”

This year’s forum is being held in conjunction with the 'Smart Life Week' (SLW), an ICT exhibition launched by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Under the theme “The Future of Urban Living Transformed by Advanced Technology,” the Smart Life Week will be a three-day ConfEx event combining exhibitions, conferences, and forums from November 10 to 12 across COEX’s 1st-floor B2 Hall and 3rd-floor C4 Hall.

The forum, which runs from 10 AM to 6 PM on November 11, will feature over 26 experts from the fields of urban administration, AI, and big data, both domestic and international, as speakers and panelists. The keynote speakers include Yanan Xin, a professor from Delft University of Technology, Ha Jung-woo, Director of Naver Cloud AI Innovation Center, and Steve Shirky, Head of AI at Microsoft Asia. Professor Yanan Xin, who studies smart transportation systems using AI and big data at Delft University of Technology (often referred to as the MIT of the Netherlands), will discuss the future of mobility based on insights from big data. Ha Jung-woo, who serves as the Chair of the AI and Data Subcommittee of the Presidential Digital Platform Government Committee and leads the Public Super-Giant AI Task Force, will speak on “Inclusive AI for Citizens’ Lives.” Steve Shirky, who oversees Microsoft’s Azure AI platform across Asia, will present on how AI data can help solve urban problems in Seoul.

Following the keynote speeches, the main program will consist of three sessions: Lifestyle & Environment, Safety, and Future, Administration & Ethics. Each session will feature 3–4 experts presenting on related topics, followed by a 20-minute panel discussion. The first session, ‘Lifestyle & Environment,’ will include a presentation by Won Yu-bok, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Data Analysis Task Force, analyzing daily mobility patterns of citizens in the Seoul metropolitan area. Jihye Park, Smart Policy Team Leader at the Seoul Digital Foundation, will then present on carbon neutrality, followed by Professor Eom Young-ho of the University of Seoul discussing transportation big data patterns.

The second session, ‘Safety,’ will explore ways to enhance urban safety networks through AI and big data. Notably, Jun-cheol Kim, a research fellow at the Seoul Institute, will give a lecture on building a monitoring system and support mechanisms for victims of AI digital crimes, such as deepfake crimes, which have recently become a serious social issue.

The final session, ‘Future, Administration & Ethics,’ will feature a presentation by Apple Senior Researcher Joon-sung Park on “Next-generation Communication Technology in the Hyper-connected Era and Data Collection Methods Using Big Data.”

The forum will be live-streamed on YouTube. Free entry is available by registering in advance on the official website.

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