Gwangju Artificial Intelligence Academy Opens in July

Gwangju City Hall

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] An Artificial Intelligence (AI) Academy that will help realize Gwangju's vision as an "AI-centered city" is set to open in Gwangju this July.

On the 20th, Gwangju Metropolitan City announced that it was selected as one of four local governments, including Gwangju, for the Ministry of Science and ICT's "2020 Regional Hub AI Education Operation Project," securing 1.5 billion KRW in national funding.

This project is being promoted by the government to strengthen the domestic AI ecosystem by training AI specialists in non-metropolitan areas.

Specifically, 14 metropolitan local governments excluding Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi were divided into four regions, selecting one training hub per region: three for capacity building and one for specialized talent.

Gwangju formed a consortium led by the Gwangju Information & Culture Industry Promotion Agency and including the top domestic coding education institution LikeLion Inc., applying in the specialized talent category. It was finally selected as the training hub for the Gwangju, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, and Jeju region.

Gwangju has been preparing the AI Academy since last year, anticipating increased demand for AI specialists centered around the AI Industry Convergence Complex, which is being developed with 411.6 billion KRW in funding by 2024 in cooperation with the Ministry of Science and ICT. The city achieved success by preparing the project plan for this public contest with experts from various fields.

Accordingly, the AI Academy will recruit students next month and open the Gwangju AI Academy in July at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology training center within the Gwangju Advanced Science Industrial Complex.

Applicants to the academy must be between 18 and 39 years old, with no restrictions on academic background, major, grades, or residence. However, they must have the learning ability to pass the selection exam, which tests understanding of programming languages and algorithms.

Before opening, Gwangju will provide 160 hours of online basic courses on AI overview and the programming language Python to applicants, followed by a selection exam to choose students.

Students will complete 320 hours of intermediate and advanced courses by August, covering AI algorithms, machine learning, deep learning, big data analysis, and cloud computing services. From September to November, they will engage in 480 hours of AI convergence project practice focused on specialized industries and public sectors such as automotive, energy, healthcare, and cultural content.

Notably, industry professionals from AI-related companies will participate as mentors, and a project advisory committee composed of university professors and researchers from specialized institutions will assist in task discovery and project progress.

Education will be conducted through collaborative, game-based, and self-directed learning methods.

Team-based hackathons and project practices will provide opportunities to generate ideas, solve technical problems, and develop collaboration skills with peers, while game missions will continuously motivate learning.

After formal learning, an online learning platform will be provided for students to self-assess their skills and address weaknesses.

Additionally, to allow students to focus solely on their studies, a dormitory accommodating 60 people will be provided, and commuting students will receive educational incentives. High-performing students will be awarded competition prizes and opportunities to visit advanced AI regions overseas.

Gwangju expects to cultivate about 150 specialized AI talents through this program.

Son Kyung-jong, Director of the AI Industry Bureau of Gwangju City, said, "In January, Gwangju declared its vision to lead Korea as one of the four major AI powers. Promising domestic and international companies such as Tmax, Saltlux, Infoworks, and Incord have also established bases in Gwangju. We will do our best to successfully operate the AI Academy, complete the talent growth ladder, and make the phrase 'AI talent comes from Gwangju' a popular saying."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.