A representative demonstrates an AI-powered robot at the “AI Seoul 2026” conference held at Coex in Gangnam, Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap)
A representative demonstrates an AI-powered robot at the “AI Seoul 2026” conference held at Coex in Gangnam, Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap)

Seoul unveiled a strategy to position itself as a “physical artificial intelligence leading city,” pledging to open the entire city as a testing ground for new technologies at the “AI Seoul 2026” on Friday.

Attendees experience an AI-based digital healthcare booth at the “AI Seoul 2026” conference held at Coex in Gangnam, Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap)
Attendees experience an AI-based digital healthcare booth at the “AI Seoul 2026” conference held at Coex in Gangnam, Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap)

Mayor Oh Se-hoon presented the vision and implementation strategy. The plan is built on three key pillars: infrastructure, the industrial ecosystem and residents' daily lives.

A representative demonstrates an AI-powered robot at the “AI Seoul 2026” conference held at Coex in Gangnam, Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap)
A representative demonstrates an AI-powered robot at the “AI Seoul 2026” conference held at Coex in Gangnam, Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap)

On the infrastructure front, the city plans to create a “Seoul-style physical AI belt” by linking two industrial hubs: the Seoul AI Tech City in Yangjae, a cluster for AI technologies, and a robot cluster in Suseo designed to support robotics testing and demonstration.


shinjh@heraldcorp.com