Urban AI Summit
Planning Symbiosis
September 10–11, 2026
BEXCO / Busan — South Korea
Symbiosis
From the Ancient Greek symbiōsis (συμβίωσις), “living together”
In biology, it designates a lasting physical association between two organisms over the course of their lives, from which both derive mutual benefit.
Programme
10–11 September 2026 · BEXCO, Busan
Day 1 · 10 September 2026
Augmentation
Root nodules are small, specialized structures that form on the roots of legumes such as beans and peas through a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The plant creates a dedicated organ (the nodule) where thousands of those bacteria can live and function within its tissues, integrating their metabolism with its own. The plant provides sugars and a protected environment, while the bacteria convert nitrogen from the air into usable plant nutrients. This partnership involves coordinated biological processes, from bacterial entry into the root to changes in the plant’s gene expression and metabolism. Through this mutual exchange, the association effectively augments the plant’s metabolic capacities, giving it access to atmospheric nitrogen that it cannot directly use on its own.
Illustration — root nodules
9:30
Opening Keynote
- Hubert Beroche, President of URBAN AI
10:00 – 11:15
Decoding Urban Complexity with AI
Hosted by the ISI Foundation
- Riccardo Di Clemente, Director of Complex Connections Lab and Affiliated Researcher at ISI Foundation · Panel Chair
- Federico Fernandez, CEO of URBANLY
- Angelos Chronis, CEO of Infrared.City
- Keemon Jang, Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
11:15 – 12:00
AI Mutualism: Evolving the Social Contract through Local Adaptation
Keynote
- Emily Binet Royall, Assistant Director at Partners for Public Good
12:00 – 13:00
Lunch Break
13:00 – 13:30
Republic of Korea’s K-AI City Strategy
Keynote
- Dr Sewon Lee, Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements
13:30 – 15:00
URBAN AI Asia Launch Forum: Co-Creating the Future of AI Cities
Hosted by URBAN AI Asia
- Sung Jin Park, CEO of SPARKCITY, Founding Member of URBAN AI Asia · Panel Chair
- Jung Hoon Lee, Professor of Technology & Innovation Management, Graduate School of Information, Yonsei University, Founding Member of URBAN AI Asia
- Jungmin Han, Associate Professor, Yonsei University, Founding Member of URBAN AI Asia
- Reazul Ahsan, Associate Professor and Urban Ecology Program Lead at University of Utah
- Hubert Beroche, President of URBAN AI
- Rafael Luna, Director of Infra-Architecture Lab and Senior Lecturer at the University of Technology Sydney
15:00 – 16:00
Civitas in the Age of AI
Hosted by UN-Habitat
- Livia Schaeffer Nonos, UN-Habitat Technology & Innovation Specialist · Panel Chair
- Sampo Ruoppila, Co-Founder of CoPlanAI and Senior Researcher at the University of Helsinki
- Minwook Kang, Research Associate at MIT Norman B. Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism
Partners
Host Partners
Partners
