Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
CES 2026 IITP holds lecture for digital talent
Participants of Digital Youth Talent Talk Concert at CES 2026 pose for photo during the lecture event at Flamingo Las Vegas, Tuesday (local time). The event was hosted by the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP) on the occasion of the tech show. Courtesy of IITP
By Nam Hyun-woo
The Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP) held a lecture event featuring experts and industry leaders in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector at CES 2026 on Tuesday (local time).
The IITP, the policy-planning arm of the Ministry of Science and ICT, has hosted the event on the sidelines of CES since the 2024 edition of the annual tech show. This year’s program, titled “Digital Youth Talent Talk Concert at CES 2026,” brought together some 300 students selected from Korea’s AI graduate schools, AI semiconductor graduate schools, university ICT research centers and other institutions receiving government support to nurture talent.
Tuesday’s event focused on the importance of asking questions in the era of AI, highlighting the idea that competitiveness lies not simply in technical proficiency, but in the ability to define problems and search for new solutions.
During the lecture, Carnegie Mellon University professor Kang Eun-suk spoke on what leading universities in the world are focusing on in the sector of AI, while TwelveLabs co-founder Jung Jin-woo shared the company’s experiences as a budding AI startup in the U.S.
IITP President Hong Jin-bae delivered his opening remarks for the event, while Reps. Choi Min-hee and Kim Hyun of the Democratic of Party of Korea and Rep. Choi Hyung-du of the People Power Party also expressed their congratulations for the event.
“Korea’s goal of becoming one of the world’s top three AI powerhouses hinges on how effectively the country can cultivate talent,” Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT Ryu Je-myung said during the event.
“The government plans to strengthen a full-cycle AI talent-development ecosystem so that young talents can grow in a stable environment. We will continue to support them so they can become competitive leaders on the global stage.”