Jeremy Rifkin is an economic philosopher and bestselling author whose 23 books have been translated into 35 languages. His latest book, <Planet Aqua: Rethinking Our Home in the Universe>, has been published in major languages around the world. <The Zero Marginal Cost Society>, <The Third Industrial Revolution>, <The End of Work>, and <Entropy> are also regarded as seminal works, and many of his books have been widely translated and read in South Korea. Rifkin has conducted research on the impact of scientific and technological progress on the economy, society, and the environment, and has continuously proposed new paradigms. He is a principal architect of the European Union’s and China’s economic plans for transitioning into a Third Industrial Revolution to address climate change. He also served as an advisor to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer on the American infrastructure investment plan. His ideas have inspired policymakers and companies in various fields, including climate change response, energy transition policies, and the digital economy. He is listed among the top ten most influential economic thinkers in The Huffington Post’s global survey of “The World’s Most Influential Voices." Since 1995, Rifkin has lectured at the Wharton School’s Executive Education Program at his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania where he instructs CEOs and senior management on transitioning their business operations into sustainable economies.

Gina Neff is the Professor of Responsible AI at Queen Mary University London. She runs the Minderoo Centrefor Technology & Democracy at the University of Cambridge. She is the Deputy Chief Executive Officer for UKRI Responsible AI UK and Associate Director of the ESRC Digital Good Network. Her research explores the intersection of digital technologies and social change, the development of responsible technologies, and the formulation of fair AI policies. Professor Neff serves on the boards of the Social Science Research Council, the Institute for the Future of Work and Reset.tech. She holds a doctorate in sociology and undergraduate degrees in Economics and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, all from Columbia University. Her books include <Venture Labor>(MIT Press 2012), <Self-Tracking>(MIT Press 2016) and <Human-Centered Data Science>(MIT Press 2022). Her academic research has won both engineering and social sciences awards. Oxford awarded her a 2019 Teaching Excellence Award for her leadership of doctoral programmes at the Oxford Internet Institute. She led the team that won the 2021 Webby, often referred to as the “Oscars of the Internet”, for the best educational website on the Internet for the A to Z of AI, which reached over one million people in 17 different languages as part of Google’s AI skills training.

President Kwang Hyung LEE is a futurologist who pioneered multidisciplinary studies and research at KAIST. An alumnus who earned his MS in industrial engineering at KAIST in 1980 after completing his undergraduate studies at Seoul National University, President Lee joined the KAIST faculty in 1985 upon receiving his PhD in computer science from Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon(INSA Lyon) in France. He advocated that the convergence of information, biology, and nano-technologies would be critical for future industries, playing a crucial role in establishing the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering in 2001 and the Moon Soul Graduate School of Future Strategy in 2013. He then served as the inaugural head of both faculties. President Lee has extensive administrative experience at KAIST, serving as Associate Vice President of the International Office, and Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs since early 2001. He is also deeply involved in the public sector. He has previously served as Chairman of the Supreme Court and Constitutional Court Justice Candidate Recommendation Committee and as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology. He currently serves as Chairman of the Presidential Council on Intellectual Property, Chairman of the Education Policy Advisory Committee, and Vice Chairman of the Special Council of Defense Innovation. An ardent champion of entrepreneurship and startups, he has advised the first generations of KAIST startup entrepreneurs such as Nexon, IDIS, Neowiz, and Olaworks. President Lee, drawn to creative thinking and flipped learning, is famous for watching TV upside down. Such pioneering ideas and his unusual thinking style were modeled in the ‘eccentric professor’ role featured on the TV hit drama of ‘KAIST’ from 1999 to 2000.

Professor Jeong-Dong Lee received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. degrees in Engineering at Seoul National University. He is a professor of the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program on Technology Management, Economics and Policy (TEMEP) at Seoul National University, Korea. His main research topics include industry and firm dynamics, productivity and efficiency analysis, evolutionary economics, and innovation policy. He published five books and edited three including “The Challenges of Technology and Economic Catch-up in Emerging Economies” by Oxford University Press in 2021. Professor Lee also published more than 100 articles in peer-reviewed academic journals, such as Economic Modelling, Industrial and Corporate Change, Energy & Environment, Energy Economics, Scientometrics, Journal of Productivity Analysis, Small Business Economics, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, International Journal of Industrial Organization, Technovation, Mathematical and Computer Modeling, and Asian Journal of Technology Innovation. He served as the Principal Coordinator for the Asia-Pacific Productivity Conference (APPC) in 2006 and 2018, and as the President of the Korean Productivity Association in 2011 and the President of the Korean Corporation Management Association in 2017. He was the principal investigator of the UNDP (United Nations Development Program) project for the innovation policy case studies for developing countries from 2011-2019. He is the Editor of Science and Public Policy (Oxford Journal) and the international advisory board member of the National Research University-Higher School of Economics (Moscow). Professor Lee was elected as a member of the National Academy of Engineering of Korea in 2018 and elected also as a member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology in 2019. Professor Lee has been actively involved in the consultation for the government and private companies. From 2019 to 2021, he served as the Special Advisor to the President for Economy and Technology in the Office of the President, The Republic of Korea.

Bo An is a President’s Chair Professor in Computer Science, Head of Division of Artificial Intelligence, and Director of Centre of AI-for-X at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He received the Ph.D degree in Computer Science from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. His current research interests include artificial intelligence, multiagent systems, computational game theory, reinforcement learning, and optimization. He has published over 200 referred papers at AAMAS, IJCAI, AAAI, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML, AISTATS, ICAPS, KDD, UAI, EC, WWW, JAAMAS, and AIJ. Dr. An was the recipient of the 2010 IFAAMAS Victor Lesser Distinguished Dissertation Award, an Operational Excellence Award from the Commander, First Coast Guard District of the United States, the 2012 INFORMS Daniel H. Wagner Prize for Excellence in Operations Research Practice, 2018 Nanyang Research Award (Young Investigator), and 2022 Nanyang Research Award. He was invited to give Early Career Spotlight talk at IJCAI’17. He led the team HogRider which won the 2017 Microsoft Collaborative AI Challenge. He was named to IEEE Intelligent Systems' "AI's 10 to Watch" list for 2018. He was PC Co-Chair of AAMAS’20 and General Co-Chair of AAMAS’23. He is on the IJCAI Board of Trustees and will be Program Chair of IJCAI’27. He is Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Intelligent Systems. He is the Associate Editor of AIJ, JAAMAS, ACM TAAS, ACM TIST and a member of the editorial board of JAIR. He was elected to the board of directors of IFAAMAS, senior member of AAAI, and Distinguished member of ACM.

Dr. Kyunghoon Bae, the president of LG AI Research, is leading the research and development to strengthen the AI capabilities of the LG Group. He has been the first head of LG AI Research since 2020 after serving as the head of the AI Division at LG Uplus and LG Sciencepark. Under his leadership, LG AI Research won the overall title at the Computer Vision & Pattern Recognition (CVPR), a global computer vision technology conference, in 2020 and first place at the Language Processing Competition hosted by Stanford University in 2021. Furthermore, Tilda, an AI artist developed by LG AI Research, won the Gold Award in the Future Now category at the New York Festivals International Advertising Awards in 2022 and the Grand Prize at the Good AI Awards organized by the IAAE International Association for Artificial Intelligence & Ethics. In 2023, he was awarded the Silver Tower Order of Industrial Service Merit in recognition of his contribution to the growth of the software industry through innovative businesses leveraging AI and digital technologies. Since the initial unveiling of LG's large-scale AI, EXAONE, in 2021, followed by the introduction of the EXAONE platforms in 2022, EXAONE 3.5 in 2024, and the reasoning-specialized model EXAONE Deep in March 2025, LG AI Research continues to strive for the advancement of large-scale AI and the expansion of its industrial ecosystem. Dr. Kyunghoon Bae also serves as the chair of the Hyperscale-AI Promotion Committee, a member of the National Artificial Intelligence Committee, and a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on Science and Technology, playing a pivotal role in enhancing South Korea's global AI competitiveness.

Professor Byung-Ro Moon is a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Seoul National University and the CEO of an asset management company that leverages optimization algorithms. His work is rooted in algorithm and optimization theory, and he has pursued a wide range of industrial applications including investment optimization, production line management, logistics, resource allocation, and time-series forecasting. A notable example is Optus Asset Management, which he founded to approach investment from an algorithmic optimization perspective. Under his leadership, the firm has achieved a cumulative return over 16 years that exceeds six times that of the KOSPI index. He is also dedicated to making science and technology more accessible to the public. He has delivered over 300 lectures to forums, corporations, educational institutions, and general audiences on topics such as investment, AI, algorithms, and their interdisciplinary applications. He has published more than 100 columns in major media outlets including The Maeil Business Newspaper, The Korea Economic Daily, and The JoongAng Ilbo. Professor Moon has provided technical consulting on optimization and AI to numerous companies. He has authored seven books, both academic and popular. Notable examples include <Easy-to-Learn Algorithms>, a widely used textbook in the field, and <Metric Studio>, Korea’s first popular book on quantitative analysis of the stock market. During his tenure at Seoul National University, he has received multiple awards for excellence in teaching and research. He holds a B.S. in Computational Statistics from Seoul National University, an M.S. in Computer Science from KAIST, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Pennsylvania State University.

Biao XIANG is Director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology in Germany since 2020. He and his colleagues are currently exploring a “common concerns” approach in social research, which aims at developing analyses that publics can use for thinking through their concerns for themselves. Xiang has worked on various types of migration - internal and international, unskilled and highly skilled, emigration and return migration, and the places and people left behind - in China, India and other parts of Asia. Xiang is the winner of the 2008 Anthony Leeds Prize for his book <Global Bodyshopping> and the 2012 William L. Holland Prize for his article <Predatory Princes>. Body shopping refers to a system whereby IT companies in the US recruit Indian software developers through consulting firms for project-based work. His 2000 Chinese book <跨越边界的社区> (published in English as <Transcending Boundaries>, 2005) was reprinted in 2018 as a contemporary classic, and <自己作为方法> (Self as Method, co-authored with Wu Qi) was ranked the Most Impactful Book 2020. Both <跨越边界的社区> and <自己作为方法> are published in Korean as well. Born in 1972 in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, Xiang graduated from Peking University and earned a D.Phil. in Social Anthropology from the University of Oxford. His research is recognized for developing perspectives that examines migration as part of larger social changes in Asia, and for addressing existential concerns of the general public through political economy and ethnographic analyses.

Jae-Yin Kim is Professor at the Center for Cross-Cultural Studies, Kyung Hee University, Korea, and serves as Chair of the Cultural Committee of the Digital Society Initiative. His main research interests include Philosophy of Technology and Art, grounded in the philosophy of Nietzsche and Deleuze. He received his B.A. in Aesthetics and Ph.D. in Philosophy from Seoul National University. He has worked as a research fellow at the Institute of Philosophical Studies at Seoul National University, a fellow of the Interdisciplinary Program at the Korea Institute for Advanced Study, and served as Editor-in-Chief of Webzine X at the POSTECH Institute for Convergence Civilization. He has published many books in Korean, including <Co-brain Project> (2025), <Human, Don’t Be Afraid> (2024), <AI Big Bang> (2023), <The Philosophy of the New Normal> (2020), <The Battle of Thoughts> (2019), <Reconsidering Human in the Era of AI> (2017), and <Reading Deleuze in the Streets of Revolution> (2016). He has also translated major philosophical works into Korean, including <Anti-Oedipus> (G. Deleuze & F. Guattari), <A Thousand Plateaus> (G. Deleuze & F. Guattari), <Bergsonism> (G. Deleuze), and <Deleuze: Connections> (J. Rajchman). His achievements have been widely recognized, with honors such as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Award for Outstanding Research (twice selected among Top 50 Research Works), the Sejong Book Prize (twice), the Digital Society Excellent Content Award (twice), and selections as Author of the Year by Kyunghyang Shinmun, Book of the Year by Munhwa Ilbo, and finalist for the Korean Publishing Culture Award.

CHUNG Serang has written novels since 2010 and has been a screenwriter since 2017. Her literary accomplishment was repeatedly acknowledged when she won the seventh Changbi Novel Award in 2013 with <This Much Close> (이만큼 가까이), the fiftieth Hanguk Ilbo Literary Award in 2017 with <Everybody Will be Dancing> (피프티 피플) and Today’s Young Artist Award in 2021. Her most well-known works include <Jain, Jaewook, Jaehoon> (재인, 재욱, 재훈), the story of three siblings with trivial superpowers, <The School Nurse Files> (보건교사 안은영), the remarkable activities of a school nurse who can perform exorcism, and <From Sisun Onward,> a work on the life of a first generation of immigrants to Hawaii and the frustration of a 20th-century female writer. Her works are translated into more than 12 languages and The School Nurse Files was made into a Netflix original drama series. She also wrote a episode, <Journey to the dark head>for Starwars Visions season 2. She has been continuously interested in integrating Korea's unique cultural assets with modern content. Interested in biodiversity, she has also written works that capture ecologicalism with her natural style and literary sophistication.

Dr. Jung-Woo Ha is a leading AI researcher and strategist, currently heading the NAVER Future AI Center where he oversees AI safety and responsible technology development. He also serves as Head of AI Innovation at NAVER Cloud, leading advanced research and global AI ecosystem strategy. He spearheaded the development of Korea’s sovereign large language model, HyperCLOVA X, and has played a pivotal role in positioning NAVER as a global AI leader. He co-founded major AI research centers with KAIST and Seoul National University, and has published over 50 papers at top-tier conferences including NeurIPS and ICML. Beyond research, he actively contributes to global and national AI governance. He serves as a Tech Expert on the UN AI Advisory Body, and previously chaired the AI and Data Subcommittee of Korea’s Presidential Committee on Digital Platform Government. He also advises various government bodies, including the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Financial Supervisory Service. Also, Dr. Ha serves as a co-chair of Citizen’s Coalition for Scientific Society. Dr. Ha received his Ph.D. in AI from Seoul National University. His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Young Engineer Award from the National Academy of Engineering of Korea and a Prime Minister’s Commendation. His work bridges innovation and policy, aiming to foster a safe, inclusive, and sustainable AI future.

KIM Hyo-eun is Professor in the Department of Liberal Arts and Humanities at Hanbat National University, recognized as both a philosopher of science and a experimental/computational philosopher. She currently serves as the Director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Value Studies. She pioneered the first university-level course on AI ethics in South Korea and has served as a member of the IEEE Global Initiative on Ethics of Autonomous and Intelligent Systems. She holds a bachelor's degree in Philosophy from Ewha Womans University and in Artificial Intelligence from Korea National Open University, a master’s degree in Cognitive Science from the Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology (PNP) program at Washington University in St. Louis, and a Ph.D. from Ewha Womans University with a focus on consciousness studies. She has been a visiting scholar at New York University, Duke University, and Macquarie University, exploring the integration of analytic philosophy with computational methodologies. In 2022, she was granted a patent for a deep learning-based moral judgment classification system. Her research focuses on the digital embodiment of value concepts and their practical application in society. Recent projects include developing educational methods using digital tools such as recidivism prediction systems and MLforKids, as well as establishing guidelines for the use of generative AI in education. Her major publications include AI and Bias, AI and Ethics, and The Cognitive Science Lab.