Urgent Proposal Need to Establish 'AI Data Hub' in Advanced City Pyeongtaek

[News S=Senior Reporter Kim Jong-sik] An opinion was presented that establishing a 'Pyeongtaek-style AI Data Hub' is absolutely necessary for Pyeongtaek, where advanced industries such as Samsung semiconductors, hydrogen, automotive mobility, logistics, and ports are located.

At the 'Policy Discussion Session for Pyeongtaek Port Development' held on the 11th in the seminar room on the 3rd floor of Pyeongtaek Civic Support Center, hosted by the Pyeongtaek-Dangjin Port Development Council, Seo Hyeon-ok, a councilor of the Gyeonggi Province Assembly's Future Science Cooperation Committee, emphasized this point and noted that Pyeongtaek, as an advanced city, could be the first to adopt AI and robot technology, but also could be the first to experience side effects from it.

To prevent side effects, he emphasized the need for strategy and implementation to develop Pyeongtaek as a hub for Physical AI, Smart Logistics, and Manufacturing AI.

To this end, he stated that it is necessary to shift to a direction of creating industrial complexes on the premise of AI from the basics, such as designing AI and robot cloud infrastructure in the remodeling of existing industrial complexes and planning new supporting complexes.

He noted that while AI significantly improves speed, accuracy, and safety, there are concerns about the decrease in repetitive and simple labor jobs.

To balance 'technology adoption speed = labor transition speed,' he argued that worker retraining, labor safety net design, and social dialogue channels involving both businesses and local governments should be established so that technological advancement does not remain merely in 'cost reduction' but advances toward enhancing 'worker quality.'

The discussion session on this day was moderated by Professor Kim Seung-wook, Dean of the Graduate School of Global Business at Pyeongtaek University, and proceeded for two hours with discussants including Choi Sung-il, Chairman of the Pyeongtaek Port Research Council, Kim Ki-soo, CEO of Pyeongtaek Citizens News, and Kim Dae-sik, Chairman of the Pyeongtaek Port Workers' Union.

Professor Kim Seung-wook said, "Physical AI is approaching faster than expected," and "If we attract an AI data center to Pyeongtaek, it will spread to logistics and ports, and the ecosystem will improve significantly."

Choi Sung-il, Chairman of the Pyeongtaek Port Research Council, pointed out, "Pyeongtaek, located at the southern end of Gyeonggi Province, is not benefiting from capital region benefits as a reason for being in the capital region, and is also not receiving support," and "Building AI infrastructure requires significant budget, but as a result, we are not receiving government funding."

Kim Dae-sik, Chairman of the Pyeongtaek Port Workers' Union, said, "If AI is activated at Pyeongtaek Port, there are concerns about job losses for workers, so countermeasures for workers should be prioritized."