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IFEZ shares vision of AI-powered cities at ‘Global Top 10 City Week 2025’

Published: 03 Dec. 2025, 16:58 Updated: 03 Dec. 2025, 17:07

A photo of the announcement of the AI City Initiative at the Smart City Summit [IFEZ]

The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority (IFEZ) kicked off its “Global Top 10 City Week 2025” event at Songdo Convensia and Gyeongwonjae by Walkerhill on Monday, with AI taking center stage.

The gathering, running through Thursday, serves as a global innovation week integrating IFEZ’s key strategic sectors, including smart cities, bio industries and sustainability. It aims to present a model for an AI-driven future city, where AI and advanced technologies converge across urban development, industry and the environment, while also fostering collaboration among industry, academia and research institutions.

At the opening ceremony, IFEZ officially unveiled the “AI City Initiative,” an international pledge to lead the transformation to AI cities, where the technology functions as the “brain” of urban systems.

The zone aims to build an AI-powered ecosystem integrating citywide data through the AI City Platform that enables real-time prediction, decision-making along with the management of transportation, energy, the environment, public safety and administrative services.

IFEZ aims to establish a global standard for AI-powered cities, expanding the system to other cities worldwide upon successful integration.

Key to that approach is the organization’s plan to establish a consultative body with cities that participated in the IFEZ Smart City Summit and to promote the sharing of AI city strategies and technologies as well as joint projects with cities in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

IFEZ Commissioner Yun Won-sok stated, “The AI City Initiative represents a new urban management philosophy in which cities learn from data on their own and anticipate citizens’ needs to improve their lives. IFEZ will serve as a hub for innovation and collaboration.”

The “Global Top 10 City Week” included the “IFEZ Smart City Summit 2025” seminar on Monday and Tuesday under the theme “From Smart to AI City,” bringing together global city leaders and representatives to discuss urban innovation and AI technology integration strategies.

Also on Monday was the “2025 IFEZ Global ESG-AX Forum” exploring future sustainability through a combination of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management and technological innovation, featuring experts from academia, industry, international organizations and research institutions.

On Wednesday, the “Songdo Bio Open Innovation Roundtable” at Incheon Start-Up Park discussed the direction of open innovation in the Songdo Bio Cluster with resident companies and institutions.

On the docket for the fourth and final day, Thursday, is the “JHU-Korea Biotechnology Innovation Summit,” co-organized by Johns Hopkins University and major Korean institutions, focusing on AI-based bio-data analysis, precision medicine, global joint research and talent development collaborations.

Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, “The ‘Global Top Ten City Week 2025’ marks an important milestone as IFEZ leads AI-driven future city innovation. We will promote a sustainable and intelligent future city model worldwide through global collaboration and advanced technologies.”

BY JANG HAYOON [[email protected]]

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