World's top AI and robotics scholars to converge on Busan from Saturday

Busan will host the 23rd IFAC World Congress 2026 at Bexco from Saturday through Aug. 28, the city government announced Tuesday.

Organized by the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) and hosted by the Institute of Control, Robotics and Systems, the congress is the world's largest international academic conference in automatic control and has been held every three years since its founding in 1957. This year's edition marks only the second time the event has been held in Korea — 18 years after the 17th congress took place in Seoul in 2008.

More than 4,400 participants from over 75 countries have registered, making it the largest edition in the congress's history, with some 3,600 overseas researchers and industry professionals expected to visit Busan. Over the six days, the program will span nine themes and 39 technical tracks, featuring keynote lectures by leading global scholars, academic sessions, exhibitions and competitions. A robot experience program for Busan youth will also be offered, alongside student competitions open to participants from around the world — including the RoboRacer Grand Prix, a mini-drone contest and a wearable robot challenge.

In conjunction with the congress, an AI robot-arm hands-on workshop will be held Saturday for 30 middle school students from Busan. On Aug. 26, the "IFAC Young Robot Explorers" program will bring together about 60 elementary and middle school students for robot performances, lectures and a guided robot-building experience.

A free public lecture, "AI and Robots: Opening the Future," will be held at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Bexco Auditorium, open to all residents. Ken Goldberg, a professor at UC Berkeley and one of the world's leading roboticists, will speak on the theme "Physical AI: AI and Robots in Our Future," exploring how artificial intelligence is transforming the real world through its integration with sensors and robots, illustrated with videos and real-world examples. The lecture will be delivered in English with AI-powered Korean live subtitles.

The opening ceremony on Saturday will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a performance of "Ogumu and Pungmulnori" by the Busan Metropolitan Dance Company, followed by a welcome reception at the Busan Cinema Center featuring a drone light show. The closing ceremony on Aug. 28 will begin at 4 p.m. with an orchestra performance conducted by Baek Yun-hak, followed by an awards ceremony, a preview of IFAC 2029 to be held in the Netherlands, and the official closing declaration.