Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Seoul AI Foundation, MIT lab launch joint AI talent program for Korean students
University students take part in the Urban AI Seminar, a joint global talent initiative by the Seoul AI Foundation and Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Senseable City Lab. Courtesy of Seoul AI Foundation
By Jhoo Dong-chan
In a bid to position itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI), Seoul is turning its urban landscape into a living laboratory for the next generation of data scientists and urban planners.
The Seoul AI Foundation said Monday that it has partnered with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Senseable City Lab — one of the world’s foremost research groups studying data-driven urban design — to launch a series of joint global AI education programs for university students in Korea.
The initiative blends academic seminars, immersive summer courses, and hands-on capstone internships, giving local students direct access to top-tier researchers from Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Earlier this year, the MIT Senseable City Lab established the "Seoul Global AI Lab," its fourth international outpost and its first in Asia. The new joint educational programs build on that research anchor, aligning with Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s strategic push to turn Seoul into an international hub for AI talent.
"This is a valuable opportunity for Seoul’s future talent to build global capabilities by communicating directly with world-class researchers," said Kim Man-ki, chairman of the Seoul AI Foundation. "We will establish a systematic foundation to help university students grow into leaders in urban AI."
The collaboration kicked off in June with an "Urban AI Seminar" for 50 students, where MIT scholars demonstrated how data analysis can address pedestrian safety, urban economics and traffic design. That was followed earlier this month by a selective four-day summer school program titled "Open Walks Seoul."
Held from July 13-16, the summer session brought together 25 top students from leading Korean institutions, including Seoul National University, KAIST and Yonsei University. Guided by Fabio Duarte, associate director of the MIT Senseable City Lab, and other prominent urban scholars from KAIST and Harvard, participants collected and analyzed real-time Seoul urban data to present team solutions for the capital's infrastructure challenges.
Looking ahead to the fall, 10 selected students will participate in an intensive capstone project, analyzing municipal data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government under the mentorship of MIT researchers. The team will present policy recommendations directly to city officials, bridging theoretical education with practical urban administration.
The findings and student work are scheduled to be showcased at the Seoul Urban AI Forum during Smart Life Week this October.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.