KAIST President Bae Choong-sik speaks at a press conference Monday about the implementation strategy for his vision of building a "globally leading university grounded in fundamentals." [KAIST]
KAIST President Bae Choong-sik speaks at a press conference Monday about the implementation strategy for his vision of building a "globally leading university grounded in fundamentals." [KAIST]

"We will build a new education system in which all students can understand, use and lead AI while preserving foundational academic knowledge and critical thinking."

KAIST is embarking on a sweeping transformation that will embed AI across education, research, entrepreneurship, administration and campus operations. The goal is to create an "AI native campus" that connects all of those functions through artificial intelligence.

KAIST President Bae Choong-sik laid out the plan at a press conference Monday, saying the university would simultaneously pursue AI integration, global entrepreneurship, deeper focus on education and research, sustainable growth and international cooperation — all built on a foundation of strong fundamentals.

Bae unveiled detailed implementation plans for five strategic priorities aimed at realizing the vision he introduced when he took office: building a globally leading university grounded in fundamentals.

The five-pillar development strategy, called the "Beyond Series," covers AI for everyone (Beyond AI), innovative research and entrepreneurship (Beyond Laboratory), an efficient and open university (Beyond Barriers), environmental sustainability (Beyond Carbon), and global and future outreach (Beyond KAIST).

Bae said the first priority is a sweeping transformation of education through AI — expanding it from specialized knowledge in certain departments into a common competency required of all students and researchers.

All courses will be classified into three levels based on AI use: starting with education that builds human-specific thinking and foundational skills without AI, progressing to active AI use, and ultimately reaching a stage where students design and lead AI systems themselves.

"We will establish an education system in which AI principles and AI-X applications are connected to every academic unit, not confined to specific departments," Bae said. "Each major will use AI as a tool to solve problems in its own field, and students will develop the ability to define new problems, verify AI outputs and create better solutions."

On the research side, KAIST will expand work on foundational AI technologies and sovereign AI, as well as physical AI applications including autonomous driving, smart factories, robotics and digital twins. The university will also push ahead with convergence research that crosses traditional disciplinary boundaries — combining AI with energy, quantum computing, nuclear fusion and biotech.

KAIST also intends to ensure research results do not stop at academic papers, but flow into industry, real-world applications and startups.

The university will expand its network of industry satellite labs and joint research centers. A particular focus will be building "AI autonomous labs" in partnership with companies — deploying AI in experiment design, execution and data analysis to dramatically accelerate research and development productivity.

KAIST President Bae Choong-sik speaks at a press conference Monday. [KAIST]
KAIST President Bae Choong-sik speaks at a press conference Monday. [KAIST]

Entrepreneurship education will begin the moment students enroll. Freshmen will be introduced to KAIST's research achievements and technology startup cases, and given direct access to alumni entrepreneurs, investors and industry experts. From the first semester of their first year, students will follow a startup education model covering market validation, idea development and the basics of economics and business management.

Administrative and regulatory reform will run in parallel to free up more time for education and research. KAIST plans to build a digital one-stop administrative system that automates repetitive tasks and simplifies complex procedures, while also identifying and eliminating unnecessary regulations.

Climate and energy research will also be strengthened. The campus itself will serve as a large-scale testbed for advanced technologies, using AI and energy technology to analyze and efficiently manage energy consumption.

Through these five strategic priorities, KAIST aims to build an AI native campus that connects education, research and administrative infrastructure through AI — with the intention of spreading the model to other universities and public-sector institutions.

"Through AI, we will create a new model for education, research, administration and campus life, connect research outcomes to industry and entrepreneurship, and build a global connected ecosystem to drive KAIST's innovation," Bae said. "By 2031, our 60th anniversary, I want the plans we have announced to be felt as real change by students, faculty and staff — not just slogans."


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com