KOR
▲ Seoul National University Gwanak Campus
Seoul National University (SNU) has declared its transformation into a "question-centered research university," aiming to proactively identify the challenges facing humanity and seek solutions through multidisciplinary collaboration.
SNU held the "SNU Grand Quest Forum" today (June 18) and unveiled six core questions that the university will focus on as research topics for 2026, which it deems essential for the future of humanity and society.
The list includes several questions related to artificial intelligence, such as "In the age of AI, are democracy and capitalism sustainable?", "Can AI forget like humans?", and "Can AI self-repair from damage?"
Questions regarding life and sustainability were also identified, including "Can we control the clock of life?", "Can we explain the will to live at the molecular level?", and "Can energy systems autonomously find balance?"
SNU stated that these core questions were developed through a deliberative process by the "Grand Quest Design Board," which consists of 18 professors representing all academic disciplines.
Lee Jeong-dong, head of the SNU Grand Quest Initiative research group, explained the background of the selection, stating, "These are questions for which clear academic answers have not yet been provided. They also embody the will to solve the most difficult problems in Korean society. Furthermore, we strived to select questions that, if answered, could provide solutions for the future of humanity."
SNU President Yoo Hong-lim emphasized, "The capabilities we need are the ability to ask what the important problems are, to discover questions that no one has raised yet, and to reflect on the direction in which technology and society should move." He added, "Today's universities must be reborn from institutions that teach correct answers into institutions that create new questions."
SNU announced that it plans to develop these identified questions into actual research projects starting in the second half of this year and will operate a new research support system that fosters long-term, challenging research rather than short-term results.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.
