A Glimpse of the Future Cities AI Will Transform... 'Smart Life Week 2026' Opens

[Financial News] A large-scale smart city expo offering visitors a firsthand look at daily life in the future cities that artificial intelligence (AI) will transform opened in Seoul.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government held the opening ceremony for Smart Life Week 2026 (SLW 2026) at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 6th and announced that the event would run for three days through the 8th. Held under the theme "Designing Life with AI," this year's event showcases how advanced technologies—including physical AI, robotics and future mobility—can be applied to everyday life against the backdrop of Seoul's major landmarks. After 330 companies participated last year, the event expanded this year to include a total of 515 companies, institutions and cities: 312 companies, 102 institutions and 101 overseas cities. About 300 people attended the opening ceremony, including Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon; Marc Raibert, founder of Boston Dynamics and head of Hyundai Motor Group's RAI Research Institute; delegations of mayors from overseas cities; and ambassadors stationed in South Korea.
The event opened with a performance featuring traditional percussion and AI robots. The percussion performance team TAGO and robots from maum.ai presented a show combining buk (large Korean drums) and janggu (hourglass-shaped Korean drums) performances with robotic movements.
In his keynote speech, Raibert outlined the challenges that must be addressed as robotic technologies are applied to real life, along with the direction of next-generation technological development. He also presented the changes that physical AI will bring to cities and everyday life, including greater productivity through human-robot collaboration and the replacement of workers in dangerous tasks.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is located in COEX Hall A. It recreates a vision of the future city across eight Seoul locations: Sejong-daero; Yangjae-dong and Suseo; Gwanghwamun; the Hangang River; Seoul Station; Seoul Metropolitan Library; Bukchon Hanok Village; and Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP). Visitors can explore technologies applying physical AI, AI-powered public administration, safety and care services, mobility and education.
Hall B, which hosts the 2026 Seoul AI Robot Show, brings together a range of technologies from humanoids to wearable robots. The exhibition is designed to let citizens experience firsthand how robots are used in everyday life and for safety.
Eighteen international conferences, including the Mayors Forum and the Physical AI Forum, will also be held during the event. The opening ceremony also featured the awards ceremony for the 4th Seoul Smart City Prize, jointly hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and the World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO).
Mayor Oh said, "The question we must ask is how AI can make citizens' daily lives safer, more convenient and more meaningful," adding, "Just as we are helping citizens get around with autonomous buses and supplementing the helping hands in welfare services with care and wearable robots, the Seoul Metropolitan Government is focused on creating the warmest changes with the coldest technologies." He continued, "We will develop Smart Life Week into a global platform where cities, companies and researchers around the world can share their experiences and technologies, so that one city's innovation can become another city's solution."
[email protected] Seong Cho-rong Reporter