[CONFERENCE] 'Education in AI era should focus on cultivating humanity'

Choi Jae-boong, a professor of mechanical engineering at Sungkyunkwan University, argued that education in the age of artificial intelligence should prioritize nurturing humanity, rather than merely attempting to limit students' utilization of AI. During his keynote address at the 2026 Korea Times Global Conference, Choi emphasized that this shift in focus should coincide with a fundamental restructuring of university curricula.

The conference, themed "Beyond AI: building human-centered leadership for the next era," underscored the unavoidable nature of AI innovation and the necessity for leadership and education to undergo significant transformations to adapt to this evolving landscape.

Choi pointed out that while major technology firms had undertaken significant workforce reductions in recent years, they had subsequently increased their hiring of AI talent. However, he criticized the prevailing emphasis among Korean universities on preventing students from using AI for their assignments. Choi lamented that this approach had largely been the sole focus of discussions, with little attention given to preparing students for the future that AI inevitably heralds.