Seeking Ways to Make Autonomous Driving and AI Part of Everyday Life...Global Companies Gather in Seoul

[Financial News] An international event will be held in Seoul to discuss commercialization challenges and policy directions so that the public can use advanced mobility technologies, including autonomous driving and artificial intelligence (AI), safely and conveniently.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced on the 6th that it will hold the '2026 Global Mobility Conference' from the 7th to the 8th at The Westin Josun Seoul, together with the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (TS) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s International Transport Forum (ITF).
This year's theme is 'Innovation in Everyday Life: Leading Innovation in an Era of Adaptation.' The conference will explore policy and institutional responses, as well as international cooperation, to establish mobility innovations that have remained at the level of technological possibility as services that the public can experience.
Key areas of discussion include the commercialization of autonomous driving, urban changes based on advanced mobility, autonomous-vehicle safety and insurance, demand-responsive transportation (DRT), and AI-based logistics. Participants from domestic and international companies, research institutions, and international organizations will address the changes and challenges expected as these technologies spread.
On the first day, the 7th, Alex Ryu, CEO of Kakao Mobility; Steven Han, executive vice president at Waymo; and Gaurav Agarwal, senior director at NVIDIA, will deliver keynote speeches. They are expected to present the current state and future of the industry, including expanding autonomous-driving mobility and AI-based safety technologies.
Sebastian Pappinger, a senior partner at Boston Consulting Group; Bernard Soriano, deputy director of policy at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV); and Hyun Sung-hwi, executive director at Pony.ai, will then present the challenges involved in autonomous-driving demonstrations and commercialization. Lee Jae-yong, head of the Smart City Promotion Office at Hyundai Motor Group, and Son Ha-woon, head of Asia-Pacific operations at Archer Aviation, will discuss the future of cities transformed by advanced mobility.
On the 8th, mobility research institutions from South Korea, the Philippines, and China will share policy and research trends in their respective countries. The ITF special session will feature an interactive discussion on the past, present, and future of mobility innovation.
In the afternoon, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance will address autonomous-vehicle safety and insurance, while Konkuk University’s Mobility Humanities Research Institute will discuss mobility humanities. TS and the Korean Society of Transportation will examine directions for the sustainable development of DRT, while the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP) will discuss AI-based logistics mobility.
Kim Yun-duk, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea, said, "Mobility innovation led by autonomous driving and artificial intelligence is taking place throughout our daily lives, but we must now make an even greater leap forward so that everyone can experience it." He added, "As mobility innovators from Korea and abroad are gathering in one place, I hope the conference will lead to in-depth discussions on our vision for the future and the direction of global cooperation."
[email protected] Choi Ga-young Reporter