President Seok Jae-bum of Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP) speaks at an opening session of IITP Tech & Future Insight Concert on Dec. 22. (Photos: IITP)

Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning and Evaluation (IITP) held IITP Tech & Future Insight Concert under the theme “ICT Unfolding a New Decade: ICT Future Vision 2030” on Dec. 22.

The event was designed to explore ICT’s role in society over the next decade amid the acceleration of the digital transformation of the whole economy, caused by the AI revolution and the COVID-19 pandemic.

A poster to publicize IITP Tech & Future Insight Concert, held under the theme “ICT Unfolding a New Decade: ICT Future Vision 2030.”

It took place virtually in accordance with social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and was televised live on IITP, IITP YouTube, NaverTV and KakaoTV.

In his speech at the opening session, IITP President Seok Jae-bum said, “The rapid advancing of digital transformation in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era is not a passing fad, but it has established itself as a new paradigm, so the roles of ICT, unfurling the future in a digital era, are significant.”

He stressed that the academic event was designed to look at the next decade and the direction of ICT’s role and development as digital transformation accelerates by the AI Revolution and COVID-19 pandemic.

Moon Hyung-don, chief of IITP’s technology policy team, speaks about strategic tasks with a vision of being a super digital power.

Moon Hyung-don, chief of IITP’s technology policy team, presented strategic tasks with a vision of being a super digital power in which transcendence, human beings and continuity become ICT’s future values and imaginations come true and limitations are overcome. He set three strategic goals: Korea’s lead with unmatched digital, nation’s leap with dynamic digital, and Korea’s coming together with “warm-hearted digital.”

The six strategic tasks Moon suggested include securing the No. 1 position technology digital, creative R&D with open innovation, dramatic digital transformation for economic momentum, and growth-oriented environment for innovative companies.

Moon predicted that ICT would bring about “digital Big Bang” amid changes of society toward a possibility of super-dangerous environment and sustainable crisis.

He analyzed that digital innovation, centering around human beings and society, will be accelerated in which all things around the world are connected and they keep on learning on their own.

Specifically, he cited technologies such as quantum computer, next-generation AI, and super-connected network and environment regeneration to tide over limitations, human beings-oriented ones such as VR, edge device and service-oriented digital environment, and co-existence with machines, and cross-cutting-based digital integration, cloud and blockchain for economic expansion.

Park Joon-sung, head of IITP’s team, spoke about ICT R&D implementation steps to realize a digital technology era based on 6G, AI and quantum mobile communication technologies, while Kim Jae-pil, head of KT Economy and Management Research Institute’s team, spoke about human-oriented changes of the 4th Industrial Revolution and ICT’s role.

Prof. Chung Ji-hoon of Kyunghee Cyber University touched on the core values of digital transformation sustainability.