The National Institute of Technology and Standards at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy wrapped up the General Assembly of the 2025 advanced industry standards leadership forum, held on the 12th at Hanyang Institute of Technology (HIT) at Hanyang University in Seongdong District, Seoul, with great success. The event drew more than 400 attendees from a wide range of affiliations, including not only standards experts but also researchers, corporations, schools, and government ministries.
The event opened with a keynote by David Green, agentic AI GTM leader for Asia-Pacific and Japan at Amazon Web Services (AWS). That was followed by talks from Jan Liphardt, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Openmind, Han Jae-won, professor of robotics at Hanyang University, and Min Sang-yun, CEO of Solutionlink, among other experts in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.
The day's lectures drew attention by proceeding without human interpreters, using AI interpretation instead. David Green, who released in English, and CEO Jan Liphardt were translated into Korean in real time and displayed on the main screen. The AI interpretation smoothed out even statements with complex sentence structures for natural delivery. By scanning the QR code in the proceedings booklet, attendees could view translations in up to 42 languages.
After the lectures concluded, there was a Q&A between presenters and the audience. Reflecting the on-site enthusiasm, the venue was packed with audience members who posed a variety of questions. One attendee noted, "As physical AI operates in actual physical environments, ethical issues such as safety concerns or assigning responsibility may arise," and asked what preparations researchers or corporations should make.
In response, Professor Han Jae-gwon said, "Once data accumulates on what is needed and what is risky in real-world settings, we can draw up an operation plan for how to use robots based on that," adding, "By learning from failures and building those answers, we can become a first mover rather than a fast follower."
Another attendee asked, "What capabilities should students interested in the AI field develop?" CEO Min Sang-yun answered, "You should study 'domain physical AI,' which is the consolidation of AI systems with specific domains, and the field of physical AI testing."
Meanwhile, ahead of the event, the National Institute of Technology and Standards released "the top 10 standards that changed the world" and "the top 10 standards that changed the lives and economy of Koreans," selected by 100 opinion leaders in society. The top 10 standards that changed the world included mobile communications, barcodes, the World Wide Web (WWW), Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and PCs, while the top 10 standards that changed the lives of Koreans included transit cards, the first KS-certified incandescent bulb, and the Hangul keyboard layout.
The General Assembly of the advanced industry standards leadership forum is an event that discusses the role of "standards" and policy directions in the process of securing super-gap technological competitiveness. It is in its second year, following last year. This year's event is hosted by the National Institute of Technology and Standards at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, organized by the Korea Standards Association, the Korea Industrial Technology Association, and the Council of Deans of Korea Polytechnic Universities, and sponsored by ChosunBiz.