Busan is good

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Comes into Everyday Life… Busan Metropolitan City to Host the 2026 Busan AI Festival

내용

Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, will host the 2026 Busan AI Festival for three days from September 9 to 11 at BEXCO Exhibition Center 1, offering all residents an opportunity to see, touch, and experience artificial intelligence firsthand.

The festival will be held in conjunction with 2026 K-ICT WEEK in BUSAN, the region’s largest comprehensive ICT event. Alongside the industry-focused exhibition and business consultation programs, a variety of interactive programs will enable residents to experience AI directly in their everyday lives.

Admission is free, and people of all ages can participate on site without restrictions. Advance registration for some programs is available through the festival website at https://부산ai페스티벌.kr.

The Busan AI Festival, being held for the first time this year, is being organized in cooperation with the Busan Metropolitan City Office of Education as part of the Education Development Special Zone pilot project.

The festival was designed to narrow regional disparities in access to AI-related industry and education, which have been concentrated in the Seoul metropolitan area, and to help build a foundation for nurturing future talent.

In particular, as AI technologies expand beyond industry into all aspects of everyday life, the festival has been designed as an interactive event where students and residents can encounter and experience AI in an accessible and engaging way.

The event will feature a wide range of hands-on programs that demonstrate how AI is being used in people’s daily lives beyond research laboratories and industrial settings.

At the AI and Robotics Experience Zone operated by the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI), visitors will be able to directly operate humanoid and companion robots. At the AI Technology Experience Zone, they can explore AI technologies closely connected to everyday life, including AI smart glasses.

An AI Art and Physical Zone will also offer creative activities using AI, while a special augmented reality (AR) dodgeball program will provide an opportunity to experience next-generation sports content.

The Busan Tourism Coin Tour will feature a competition in which participants use coding to complete missions with autonomous robots, enabling them to experience AI technology through play.

The AI Quiz Golden Bell will also be held, covering topics including AI knowledge, ethics, and policy.

In addition, an awards ceremony for the Busan AI Content Contest will take place, and the winning entries will be screened throughout the event.

Kim Dong-hyun, Director-General of the Future Technology Strategy Bureau, said, “Artificial intelligence is no longer a technology reserved for experts, but an everyday technology that is transforming people’s lives. We hope the Busan AI Festival will give everyone an opportunity to experience AI in an accessible and familiar way and serve as a stepping stone toward making Busan a city where people can enjoy the benefits of AI more closely than ever.”