Kakao Launches Second-Semester Tech for Impact Campus Program, Expanding AI Education Nationwide

[Financial News] Kakao Impact Foundation is launching the second-semester program of the 2026 Tech for Impact Campus. The initiative aims to help participants gain experience solving problems in their local communities through artificial intelligence (AI) and their academic expertise.
According to industry sources on the 3rd, this semester marks the first step in the nationwide expansion of the program, based on a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by Kakao Impact Foundation, the Ministry of Education and the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) last April. Classes will be offered at 13 universities nationwide during the second semester, bringing the total number of participating universities to 18 this year.
Tech for Impact Campus is a regular university course in which students team up with social innovation organizations to address social problems using AI and technology.
On August 24, Kakao Impact Foundation held a Tech for Impact Campus semester-opening meetup at Kakao Pangyo Agit, attended by more than 50 university professors, representatives of social innovation organizations and foundation officials. Participants shared experiences and networked to prepare for second-semester project collaboration. On the 29th, the foundation held an online semester-opening workshop attended by about 300 professors, representatives of social innovation organizations and current Kakao employee mentors. They shared the second-semester operating plans and project proposals, while also presenting outstanding cases from the previous semester and holding a special lecture on project topics.
The second semester will include Gyeongwoon University, Dongguk University, Busan University of Foreign Studies (BUFS), Seoul Women's University (SWU) and Halla University, which are participating in connection with the Ministry of Education's basic AI education program. All four major institutes of science and technology will also take part. Classes will additionally be offered at Gachon University, Korea University Sejong Campus, Seoul National University and the University of Seoul (UOS).
Tech for Impact Campus began at the Department of Computer Science at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in 2023. Through the first semester of this year, the program had attracted a cumulative total of 482 students from nine universities.
The range of participating majors has also expanded this semester. Students from diverse fields, including medicine, social sciences and marketing as well as engineering, will take part in interdisciplinary projects that combine their academic expertise with AI and digital technologies. Through the program, they will gain experience seeking solutions to social problems from various perspectives, beyond the boundaries of their majors and fields.
The program will also strengthen its connection with local communities. Twenty-one social innovation organizations selected through a nationwide open call will be matched with universities in different regions. Over the course of the semester, students will visit local sites in person to define the problems. They will then work with the organizations and current Kakao employee mentors to develop AI- and technology-based solutions that can be applied in the field.
[email protected] Jang Min-kwon Reporter