UNIST Special Professor Lee Sedol Holds 'Freshman OT Special Lecture'

“Grow Together with AI”: Instilling the Spirit of Challenge and Creativity
Failure as a Valuable Learning Opportunity... Individuality Is Your Competitive Edge

UNIST (President Jongrae Park) held a special lecture by Specially Appointed Professor Lee Sedol for the 2025 academic year freshmen on the 24th at the main auditorium.

Professor Lee Sedol, a special appointment professor at UNIST, is giving a special lecture for the 2025 freshman orientation. Photo by UNIST

Former professional Go player and UNIST Specially Appointed Professor Lee Sedol emphasized the spirit of challenge and creativity to the freshmen during his lecture. A total of 498 freshmen for the 2025 academic year attended this orientation special lecture.

In his lecture, Professor Lee said, “Having confidence in yourself and trusting the moves you make greatly helps maintain concentration,” urging the freshmen to take on challenges with confidence.

He explained that in Go matches, he made moves based on creativity and intuition. In life as well, it is essential to receive AI assistance while developing one’s own unique style within it.

During the Q&A session themed on his match against ‘AlphaGo,’ Professor Lee also offered advice to the younger generation.

“It is important not to see AI merely as a competitor but to embrace it as an opportunity to grow together,” he said, emphasizing that it is essential to cultivate individual personality and strengths while utilizing AI.

Professor Lee also shared his experience in managing tension. “To avoid feeling nervous, one must focus on each game and reduce the burden of the outcome,” he said. He added, “As experience accumulates and one becomes accustomed, the tension disappears, but that can make creative development more difficult,” advising the freshmen to “be cautious not to become dull in familiar situations.”

He described learning Go as an art and explained that AI Go is fundamentally different. “There is no correct answer in Go, and it reflects human creativity and infinite possibilities,” he said, adding, “Unlike AI Go, which prioritizes efficiency, human-played Go is a work created through one-on-one matches.”

Professor Lee Sedol, a special appointment professor at UNIST, is giving a special lecture for the 2025 freshman orientation. Photo by UNIST

President Jongrae Park said, “Professor Lee Sedol’s special lecture left students with lessons not only in science and technology but also in challenge and growth,” adding, “UNIST will take the lead in AI-based transformative education to nurture talents with creative insight.”

Finally, Professor Lee recalled that his losses in matches were more memorable, reflecting that failure was an important turning point for development. Through this special lecture, he provided the freshmen with profound insights into life’s challenges and growth, inspiring them greatly.

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