Seoul turns AI future into hands-on city showcase
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, eighth from right, and other participants pose at the opening ceremony of Smart Life Week 2025 at COEX in Gangnam, Seoul, Sept. 30, 2025. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
Seoul is turning its vision of an AI-powered future into something visitors can see, touch and test as Smart Life Week 2026 brings robots, autonomous mobility and other emerging technologies to COEX from Oct. 6 to 8.
The third annual event, organized around the theme “Designing Life with AI,” is expected to draw more than 70,000 visitors and participation from more than 500 cities and companies, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government.
This year’s showcase will focus on physical AI — systems designed to interact with people and the physical world — with exhibits spanning humanoid robots, AI mobility, health care, education and urban administration.
An immersive showroom will recast eight Seoul landmarks including Sejong-daero, Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul Station, the Han River and Gwanghwamun as settings for demonstrations of how AI could reshape daily life.
The exhibition will include a mock-up of Atlas, the bipedal humanoid robot developed by Boston Dynamics, as well as other robotics and AI technologies from Korean companies.
The event will also introduce Tokyo and Beijing pavilions, expanding its focus on technology and policy exchanges among major Northeast Asian cities.
Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics and head of the Robotics and AI Institute, will deliver a keynote speech on how physical AI and robotics could change life in cities.
The program will include 18 conferences and forums, including discussions on urban AI, physical AI, big data and cooperation among cities, as well as business meetings designed to connect Korean companies with overseas buyers and investors.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.