KAIST launches AI college to train next generation of industry-ready talent

"Investing in AI talent is the most urgent priority if we are to respond proactively to the era of AI transformation," Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Gyeong-hoon said Sunday at the KAIST AI College vision ceremony.

The event was organized to share the college's vision and strategic direction — covering talent development, education and research innovation, industry collaboration, and the building of a responsible AI ecosystem — with domestic and international audiences.

KAIST AI College, which launched its undergraduate program this spring semester, aims to cultivate graduates who do not merely use AI as a tool, but who expand knowledge alongside AI and design the future through original inquiry. The college plans to develop both research talent to lead core AI technology and convergence talent to apply AI creatively across diverse fields. It will build an education and research framework spanning models, algorithms, systems, infrastructure and domain convergence, as well as future society design and responsible AI.

Speaking on the theme "Korea's Future: The People Who Change AI," Bae said the key elements of educational innovation for nurturing core AI talent are flexibility, openness and coexistence. He called for flexibility that allows students to design their own AI majors across disciplinary boundaries, openness that connects them with diverse experts to solve real industry challenges within a global ecosystem, and a commitment to coexistence in building AI that upholds human values. He also signaled the government's strong intent to support a freer, more innovative overhaul of the academic degree system.

Yoon Kuk-jin, dean of KAIST AI College, presented the college's vision and direction for innovation, saying AI is the core foundation for generating new knowledge and designing the future.

The ceremony also included the inauguration of an advisory council tasked with driving AI education innovation across teaching, research, industry and global cooperation. International advisers include prominent AI scholars Yoshua Bengio of the University of Montreal and Cho Kyung-hyun of New York University. Domestic participants came from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology, as well as leading AI and ICT companies and research institutions including Naver Cloud, Lunit, Rebellions, Samsung Electronics, SK Telecom, Upstage, NC AI, Enable Fusion, Krafton, and Hyundai Motor Co. and 42dot.

KAIST AI College is working to define a curriculum suited to the AI era and plans to open more than 50 specialized courses, incorporating the AI education needs and future vision identified at the event.

The college plans to expand joint research, industry-academia projects, internships and problem-solving education with companies to build an education and research system closely tied to real industry settings. It also intends to collaborate with firms across cloud, semiconductor, robotics and healthcare sectors to pursue research and talent development that reflects industry demand.

"We will build a differentiated AI education system for Korea through active communication with students, who are the ones this education is ultimately for," Bae said.