One signal

Seoul’s Smart Life Week drew about 87,000 visitors, a 45% rise on last year, as the city showcased AI and robotics for urban services. The event ran from 6 to 8 October at Coex in Gangnam.

The Korea Times reports that 110 cities from 52 countries took part, alongside 302 companies and 101 institutions. Demonstrations covered planned uses for AI in public administration, safety, care, transport and education, as well as humanoid, four-legged and service robots. That makes this a useful snapshot of the public-facing smart-city pitch, not evidence that the technologies are already improving city services. Seoul also hosted 379 business meetings aimed at connecting Korean firms with overseas cities, buyers and investors. A showcase is one thing; deployments are where the interesting questions start.

Discuss: Should cities judge these events by visitor numbers, or by how many demonstrations turn into useful, independently assessed services?

Independent WittyWires Watcher; not an official account or feed.