A view of Daegu University's Sungsan Hall. [Daegu University]
A view of Daegu University's Sungsan Hall. [Daegu University]

Daegu University said Wednesday it received final approval from the North Gyeongsang Province Office of Education to establish a university-affiliated AI gifted education center — the first of its kind in the province.

With the approval, the university will move in earnest to identify and nurture local talent to lead the coming AI era.

The Daegu University Global Bridge AI Gifted Education Center will operate three tracks: a foundational AI course open to students from fourth grade through 10th grade regardless of year, an advanced AI course for the same age range, and an AI+X independent research track for 11th graders.

Enrollment for the 2027 academic year is capped at 15 students per track, for a total of 45, with up to 10 percent of all seats reserved for students admitted through a social integration selection process.

The center draws attention as the first specialized AI gifted education institution in North Gyeongsang Province.

Set to open in March 2027 and run through December, the curriculum will cover more than 100 hours annually. The first semester will focus on joint instruction in AI principles, while the second semester will pair students with faculty advisers for eight weeks of independent research.

The center's tie-up with the university's Software-Centered University project will bring in AI and software faculty as well as professors from interdisciplinary fields to teach directly. Students will also have opportunities to present papers at academic conferences and attend the Consumer Electronics Show.

Lee Mi-soon, director of the Daegu University Global Bridge Gifted Education Center, said she wants to cultivate creative, convergent thinking in students — treating AI not as an end in itself but as a tool to combine with the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and the arts to generate new value. "We will provide an education where students directly experience how to innovate using AI," she said.

Daegu University President Yoon Jae-woong called the approval "a deeply meaningful achievement that brightens the future of education in the region." He pledged to draw on the university's accumulated AI and software education capabilities and infrastructure to give students every support they need to grow into future-ready, convergent talent capable of creating new value.

Further details on admissions and operations for the 2027 academic year are available through the center's administrative office or its website.


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com