Jeonbuk National University has been selected to lead South Korea’s first national demonstration project on “physical artificial intelligence,” positioning itself at the center of a new frontier in AI that goes beyond data processing and into the physical world.
According to the institution on Monday, the National IT Industry Promotion Agency confirmed that the university, led by President Yang O-bong, will serve as the main institution for the Physical AI Proof of Concept program, a project expected to total nearly 1 trillion won.
With its selection, North Jeolla Province secured 21.9 billion won in government funding, laying the groundwork for a large-scale hub dedicated to testing and development.
Physical AI refers to next-generation systems capable of physical movement and interaction, surpassing the boundaries of today’s generative AI.
While current applications often focus on individual robots or machines, the university plans to develop what it calls “collaborative intelligence physical AI,” an approach that applies AI across entire factory systems.
Rather than simply replacing workers with machines, the model seeks to optimize efficiency through digital twins, foundation models and advanced simulations of production lines, a university official explained.
As its first step, the university will establish a 3,300-square-meter robotics lab, designed to serve as both a research base and a test site for industrial AI.
By next year, construction will begin on a 181,000-square-meter campus devoted entirely to physical AI, envisioned as a global cluster where industry, academia and research converge. Hyundai Motor, Naver and other leading corporate research centers are expected to take part.
Describing physical AI as “the pinnacle of artificial intelligence that changes reality,” President Yang pledged to turn North Jeolla Province into a global center for unmanned factory innovation.
jychoi@heraldcorp.com
