Smart Life Week to Create Smart Cities With Human-Centered AI and Robots

Second SLW from Sep. 30 to Oct. 2 at COEX with 200 cities, 300 companies, and 60,000 participants
First-ever Seoul AI Robot Show—from humanoid robot sports to extreme robot challenges
Seoul Smart City Prize for 21 cities and categories to award smart innovation policies
Addressing inequality and closing the digital divide as a global hub for tech, policy, and civic integration through inclusive tech

The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) announced to host the second Smart Life Week (SLW 2025) from Tue, Sep. 30 to Thu, Oct. 2 at COEX in Samseong-dong under the vision of building AI-powered cities that include and support the vulnerable. The three-day event will serve as a global stage for smart city strategies and a space to shape a leading model in partnership with cities around the world.

Second Smart Life Week at COEX with 200 cities, 300 companies, and 60,000 participants

SLW 2025 is more than just an exhibition—it brings together the essence of Seoul’s vision for inclusive technologies and creates a global forum where cities, companies, experts, and citizens share practical approaches to building smart city models.

This year’s slogan is “AI for Humanity, Smart Cities Leading Tomorrow,” grounded in the city’s municipal philosophy that ‘technology walks with the vulnerable,’ with this year’s focus on more concrete and actionable tech applications.

The scale of the event has also significantly expanded compared to last year. In 2024, 109 cities, 147 companies, and around 30,000 people took part. This year, the goal is to nearly double the numbers with 200 cities, 300 companies, and around 60,000 participants. The exhibition area has also expanded (12,572 m²) by about 1.7 times larger than last year’s (7,290 m²), allowing for more content displays and hands-on programs.

This year’s SLW 2025 comprises exhibitions (e.g., SLW Showroom, Seoul AI Robot Show), conferences, and the Seoul Smart City Prize ceremony.

Exhibitions
Conferences & Awards
Official Events
Side Programs

SLW Showroom (Hall C)
Seoul AI Robot Show (Hall C, The Platz)
Global Zone, Thematic Zone

Conference on policy cases and innovation technologies
Seoul Smart City Prize ceremony

Opening ceremony
SLW gala dinner
Networking

Business pitching, including PYC
Policy and culture tours
Award ceremonies and more

First, SLW 2025 exhibitions will showcase how AI blends into daily life, with programs such as the SLW Showroom and Seoul AI Robot Show, built around the concept “Walking Through the Future in a Day.”

In the SLW Showroom, leading Korean companies such as Amorepacific, LG Uplus, Doosan Robotics, and Shinhan Bank contributed to scenario development, improving realism and immersion. The space moves beyond demonstrations, providing interactive experiences so visitors can not just watch, but step into and live the future.

First-ever Seoul AI Robot Show—from humanoid robot sports to extreme robot challenges

The core theme of this year’s SLW is undoubtedly robots. As one of the main exhibition events, the first-ever Seoul AI Robot Show will center around the theme of extreme robots. Robots designed to work with humans and operate in extreme conditions will appear before the public as living, working technologies, providing a fresh perspective.

SLW is more than just a tech showcase—the Seoul AI Robot Show will present humanoid robot sports competitions, obstacle and fire-response challenges, hands-on robot experiences in everyday settings, and more. It’s set to become a comprehensive space to explore the present and future of the robotics industry.

Palantir and MIT join expert forums as Wrtn CEO Seyoung Lee delivers opening keynote

As part of the main conference events, global business leaders and top academic figures will come together to examine technology trends and share visions for urban development. Discussions will focus on inclusive urban tech, AI ethics, and responses to the climate crisis, highlighting the social responsibility of future cities.

Notable speakers this year include IBM’s Global Quantum Sales Director Petra Florizoone, Palantir’s Chief Architect Akshay Krishnaswamy; MIT Professor of Urban Technologies Carlo Ratti, UCLA Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Dennis Hong, University of Cambridge Maxwell Centre Director Agnieszka Iwasiewicz-Wabnig, and SAS Vice President and Global Customer Advisory Deepak Ramanathan. Speakers will share insights on topics such as AI and cities, ethics and inclusion in robotics, data-driven public policy, and global governance for urban technology.

This year’s SLW will also host the Climate Tech Conference, first introduced by Seoul in 2023 as the first initiative of its kind among local governments. The event will further extend the global reach of urban innovation.

A K-virtual idol will also take the stage at the opening ceremony. The performance will express SLW’s vision that AI is a technology connecting humans with emotion, using a digital artist who moves between reality and the virtual world.

Seoul Smart City Prize with 21 award categories to recognize outstanding smart innovation policies

Another main program is the Seoul Smart City Prize ceremony, launched in 2023 as part of Seoul’s effort to present and spread its future smart city vision as a global leader in e-government. The prize has drawn global attention for recognizing not only technological innovation, but also urban projects, individuals, and leaders that advance social inclusion and sustainability.

The Seoul Smart City Prize ceremony will take place on Tue, Sep. 30 to recognize outstanding smart city policies submitted by city governments, organizations, companies, and individuals from around the world. A total of 21 prizes will be awarded, including 16 in the project category with 8 focused on human-centered initiatives and 8 on technological innovation, along with 2 prizes for leadership and 3 special awards. To date, 220 entries have been submitted by cities, institutions, and companies around the world.

Winners of the 2nd Seoul Smart City Prize (2024)

Project (16)

Human-CentriCity (8)
Tech-InnovaCity (8)

Gold
Baguio (Philippines)
Gold
Reykjavík (Iceland)

Silver
Miri (Malaysia)
Silver
Abu Dhabi (UAE)

Curitiba (Brazil)
Dain Inc. (USA)

Bronze
Kragujevac (Serbia)
Bronze
Cali (Colombia)

Bilbao (Spain)
Ecolant Co., Ltd. (Korea)

Taoyuan (Taiwan)
WeavAir Sp Zoo (Canada)

Institution
Kyrgyz State Technical University (Kyrgyzstan)
Institution
University of Texas at Arlington (USA)

Organization
LG Electronics & Tampere (Finland)
Organization
Alternative Mobility GmbH (Germany)

Leadership (1)

Mayor Adanech Abiebie (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

Special Prize (3)

Iligan (Philippines), Istanbul (Türkiye), Dassault Systèmes (Ukraine)

It is also worth highlighting that SLW isn’t just a one-way showcase of technology. The event is designed as a live testing ground, where citizens take part in verification and experimentation. This year, new participatory programs have been added, including the SLW Citizen Innovation Award and the Youth AI Hackathon. The goal is to let anyone step into the role of an urban technology tester.

The SLW Citizen Innovation Award invites around 30 citizen reporters and on-site participants to select the most innovative and market-ready products and services among the exhibitors of SLW 2025. Roughly 10 outstanding companies will be chosen, with an awards ceremony held on the final day of the event, Oct. 2.

The Youth AI Hackathon provides a platform for young talent to explore real urban challenges and develop forward-looking solutions. The hackathon aims to uncover bold ideas that apply core smart city technologies such as AI, data, and IoT to real social challenges.

Through the Present for Your City (PYC) program, leading Korean tech companies will also have a chance to present their innovations directly to senior officials from global cities. This is expected to serve as a practical link between Seoul’s smart city strategies, global policies, and business networks.

Seoul plans to grow SLW into more than a one-time event—the goal is to keep technology close to those who need it most and create a space where meaningful policies can take root. The city also plans to shape SLW into an evolving policy platform. Each year, it will develop a smart city model that uses technology to address everyday challenges and share it globally to help build a shared future.

* SLW website: https://slw.kr/eng/main.do

Poster of SLW 2025