Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, has proposed the vision of an 'AI City' in Ulsan, integrating manufacturing artificial intelligence (AI) with citizens' daily lives and the arts. His plan aims to enhance Ulsan's manufacturing competitiveness through AI while creating an urban ecosystem where residents can experience the benefits of AI in their everyday lives.
On September 11, during the closing session of the '2026 Ulsan Forum' held at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center (UECO), Chey emphasized three key directions for the future of Ulsan: Manufacturing AI, 'Everyone's AI,' and 'Art Ulsan.'
Chey stated, "The future Ulsan must embody the concept of an AI City. We need to enhance manufacturing AI by integrating technology, manufacturing solutions, and data, while also improving the happiness of Ulsan citizens through Everyone's AI, adding an emotional dimension to our industrial city with art."
Everyone's AI is an AI agent that SK is developing for citizens. It will provide personalized public and welfare benefits, as well as lifestyle information, through a versatile chatbot that connects users to administrative, transportation, medical, and educational services.
Chey highlighted the importance of speed, scale, and safety in AI trends, along with the need for building sustainable business models. He remarked, "Given the substantial resources invested, we must create better business models for commercialization. AI should be able to generate profits and reinvest in a sustainable structure."
He particularly stressed the significance of speed and scale in building data platforms. Chey noted, "While technology is crucial for manufacturing AI and increasing productivity, it is challenging without a large-scale data platform. Collecting data and expanding the necessary data scale is not just an issue for Ulsan but for all of South Korea, and this must precede the success of manufacturing AI."
For the youth, he outlined essential skills needed in the AI era: critical thinking, empathy, adaptability, and physical capabilities.
This year's Ulsan Forum, themed 'Leading AX, Smart Life Ulsan,' focused on the transition of manufacturing to AI, physical AI execution strategies, and ways to integrate AI into daily life. SK plans to combine Ulsan's AI infrastructure with Everyone's AI to establish a specialized AI ecosystem that citizens and businesses can benefit from.
Over 10,900 participants, including university students and residents from Ulsan, attended the forum both online and offline, marking a 5.7-fold increase from the previous year and the largest turnout in history. Chey emphasized, "The Ulsan Forum has established itself as a continuous platform, and I will work to gather ideas and thoughts to drive Ulsan's development."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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