사진 확대
“After World War II, the United States sent returning veterans to college. It was a choice that resulted in a large number of middle classes and rapid economic growth. What choices should we make now in the age of artificial intelligence?”
President Yeom Jae-ho, who recently met at Taejae University in Jongno-gu, Seoul, started talking with the GI Bill (the Military Service Support Act) of the United States in the 20th century. The topic of his recent establishment of the AI and Future Strategy School was clear. Society is completely changing, and it was a sharp reflection that universities are still only printing talents such as ‘parts’ in the era of mass production. This is why Taejae University, which has been open for three years, is now put to the test of greater innovation as a graduate school.
◆ Golden Time to Invest Grants in Fostering ‘AI Native’
President Yeom strongly criticized today’s universities, saying they are “close to grazing” and borrowing the New York Times’ expression, “They have been reduced to a factory for the unemployed.” This means that it is no longer possible to survive in the AI era by memorizing textbooks and taking midterm and final exams to earn a degree. “The reason why large companies don’t hire people is because AI can be replaced,” he said. “In the accounting sector, AI is already doing the work of employees with five years of experience, and knowledge that answers only is useless at a time when office workers, mid-sized executives, and even professionals are replaced.”
The solution he proposed is to foster ‘AI Native’ beyond simple ‘AI utilization’. Based on AI, it is necessary to develop the ability to accurately grasp the complex problems faced by society and companies and design systems to solve them. “Just as the U.S. sent 7.8 million soldiers to universities through GIville to lead the highest boom, it is golden time for us to boldly invest grants and others in AI retraining and education at the national level,” Yeom stressed.
The biggest feature of Taejae University’s Graduate School of AI and Future Strategy is that there is no “lecture.” Theoretical lectures are pre-recorded videos, and only discussions and projects are conducted in class. It is a combination of thorough self-directed learning and active learning. The goal is not to focus on degrees or research, but to cultivate ‘real experts’ who can do practical work.
◆ My goal is to grow talented people who will change the world
The graduate school operates on two pillars: ‘AI Convergence Strategy’ and ‘Future Governance Strategy’. Convergence is a way to lead innovation by incorporating AI into various fields such as finance, culture, and art. In fact, President Yeom said, “It is the result of developing his ability to ask questions, not answers,” citing the case where second-year undergraduate students at Taejae University won a global design competition filled with doctoral students. For global capabilities, we also designed short-term training programs with innovative organizations around the world, including Oxford University, Stanford University, and Washington, DC. Future governance strategy majors are also noteworthy. Yeom did not spare any bitter criticism about our political and administrative ecosystem. “Isn’t the Seoul Metropolitan Government spending more than 50 trillion won due to the enlargement of local governments?” he said. “It is questionable whether the heads of local governments are trained experts or whether they were elected in a good line.”
Unlike China, which has a thorough selection mechanism for elite bureaucrats, or the United States, which follows a thorough market system, South Korea’s sustainability is threatened by its bloated administration. His ambition is to grow elected leaders with the concept of republicanism and the ability to design future governance systems through the graduate school of Taejae University. The will is to create a systematic innovation pilot model that goes beyond “Matsushita Jeong Kyeong-suk,” the birthplace of Japan’s political and management leaders.
At the end of the interview, President Yeom pointed out the calling of Taejae University once again.
“It’s not just a university to get a job,” he said. “As our role is to develop an outstanding ‘1%’ to lead the world when it changes and prove it to society, I hope talented people who will challenge the changing society will knock on Taejae’s door.”
[Reporter Lee Yong-ik]