AI Transforming Seoul's Daily Life... 'Smart Life Week 2026' Opens in October

[Financial News] A vision of a future city where artificial intelligence (AI) and robots transform daily life in Seoul will unfold at COEX. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 9th that it will host 'Smart Life Week 2026 (SLW 2026)' at COEX for three days from October 6 to 8. Under the theme "Daily Life in a Future City Drawn by AI," this year's event will showcase how cutting-edge technologies, including AI, robots, mobility, and smart healthcare, are applied throughout the city. In particular, it will focus on "Physical AI," where AI extends beyond the digital space to interact with people in the real world and solve actual problems.
Approximately 500 domestic and international cities and companies are expected to participate, and over 70,000 visitors are anticipated. The exhibition space has also been expanded by 46% compared to last year, utilizing the entire first floor Halls A and B of COEX.
The core exhibition, 'SLW Showroom,' is themed around eight major landmarks in Seoul. It features the ability to experience a future city incorporating AI and cutting-edge technology against the backdrop of Sejong-daero, Yangjae-Suseo, DDP, Bukchon Hanok Village, Seoul Station, Seoul Metropolitan Library, Hangang River, and Gwanghwamun.
In the Sejong-daero Zone, 'Seoul 2126: The Landscape Express,' a collaboration between Lee Lee Nam Studio and Google Gemini, showcases the process of traditional landscape paintings and the scenery of Seoul being reinterpreted by generative AI. In the Yangjae-Suseo Zone, a mockup of Hyundai Motor Company and Boston Dynamics' bipedal humanoid robot 'Atlas' and IL ROBOTICS CO., LTD.'s 'Unitree H2 humanoid robot' are on display.
In the Seoul Station Zone, visitors can explore future mobility technologies such as autonomous driving and UAM, and experience a piloting simulator. The Seoul Metropolitan Library Zone showcases AI-based personalized education and AI robots, while the Hangang River Zone introduces urban environment and safety management technologies utilizing AI water quality analysis and LiDAR sensors. The Gwanghwamun Zone presents future administrative services powered by AI agents.
The 'Seoul AI Robot Show,' which debuted last year, is also expanding its exhibition scale. It will showcase various technologies, including humanoid, quadrupedal, and autonomous robots, across sectors such as industrial sites, daily life, disaster safety, and performances and sports, while also operating citizen experience and business programs.
At the opening ceremony on October 6, Mark Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics and director of the Robotics and AI Institute (RAI), will deliver a keynote speech on the topic of 'Physical AI for Human-Centric Cities: The Future of Daily Life with Robots'.
In addition, the Seoul Smart City Prize ceremony and 18 conferences and forums will be held, including the 'Seoul Urban AI Forum', 'Seoul Big Data Forum', and 'Physical AI Forum'. New Tokyo and Beijing pavilions will also be established to showcase smart city policies and innovative technologies from major Northeast Asian cities.
Seoul City plans to share Seoul's policies and technologies with the world through SLW and support the overseas expansion of domestic companies. It will also facilitate business opportunities between domestic AI and robot companies and overseas cities, buyers, and investors through PYC (Present for Your City) and IR meetups.
Jeong Young-jun, Director General of the Digital City Bureau of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, stated, "The competitiveness of a future city depends not on technology itself, but on how much technology transforms the city and the lives of its citizens," adding, "Through SLW, we will share Seoul's policies, technologies, and corporate innovations with the world and present new possibilities for future cities."

[email protected] Seongchorong Reporter