Jefferson Fellows make a new friend at RobotWorld Expo in Seoul

Jefferson Fellows explore Physical AI, robots in Korea
(Seoul, South Korea)—Can you touch AI, and can AI touch you?

The answer is yes, thanks to advanced robotics called Physical AI that the Jefferson Felows and I learned about this week in Seoul.

Each year, the East-West Center brings together 12 regional journalists for a study and reporting tour called the Jefferson Fellowship. This year, the fellows and I have explored AI and its impacts in Hawaii (two weeks ago), Japan, (last week) and South Korea (this week). See previous blogs for details.

Jeff Fellow Purple Romero (left) visits with
Dasom, a senior care robot.

Our stint in Seoul began with a visit to the RobotWorld Expo, featuring hundreds of exhibitors and robots fashioned for every purpose. The fellows heard presentations from companies that make robots for industrial purposes, smart mobility, and elder care, which was a recurring theme both here and in Japan—understandable given the demographic crisis in the region. In fact, on another visit to a company called Wonderful Platform, we saw senior care robots in action. Their robot called Dasom can monitor the health of seniors, help them remember to take their pills, give them mental acuity tests (“is this a fox or a bear?”) and be used to get help in an emergency.

Another highlight in Korea was our visit to the giant manufacturing and tech conglomerate LG. We managed to get access to and a tour of their robotics lab, and saw several demonstrations of products that they’re working on, including enhanced autonomous vehicle systems and humanoid robots, one of which managed to diss me. When prompted, a smart-alecky robot said that one of the journalists was standing next to “the older gentleman with the white hair.” The journalists erupted in laughter.

Aside from snide robots, we got to discuss the future of AI in journalism with an expert panel. They share the same concern as the journalists we visited with in Hawaii and Tokyo—trust issues, combined with how to monetize our reporting.

It’s been a wonderful three weeks with 12 exemplary journalists. I’ll reflect on the experience in my next blog.

Jefferson Fellows at RobotWorld Expo in Seoul