TLDR: The SMARTCLOUD SHOW 2025, held in Seoul, brought together tech leaders who unanimously asserted that artificial intelligence and robotics will serve as ‘intelligence amplifiers’ and create new job opportunities, rather than causing widespread job displacement. Key figures from academia and industry, including UC Berkeley’s Ken Goldberg and Microsoft’s Donna Sarkar, highlighted AI’s role in handling tasks beyond human capability and fostering a low-power AI infrastructure.
Seoul, South Korea – The SMARTCLOUD SHOW 2025, a prominent domestic technology conference, convened on August 27, 2025, at the Westin Josun Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Under the theme ‘AI and the Future,’ the event attracted over 370 government, academic, and industry officials, all eager to explore the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics on the future of work.
The central message resonating throughout the conference was a reassuring one: AI and robotics are poised to enhance human capabilities and create new employment sectors, rather than replacing human jobs en masse. Ken Goldberg, a distinguished professor in physical AI at UC Berkeley, articulated this vision, stating, “AI-based robots will not replace humans, but will act as ‘intelligence amplifiers’ that assist and enhance human capabilities.”
Echoing this sentiment, Donna Sarkar, Microsoft’s AI & CoPilot distribution chief, emphasized, “Even as AI advances, jobs will not be lost. This is because AI will not replace tasks that humans can do, but will handle tasks that humans cannot.” David Chen, CEO of Ecovacs Robotics, further supported this outlook, predicting that “In the next 10 to 20 years, various types of robots will coexist with humans.”
The conference commenced with a keynote address by Professor Goldberg, setting the stage for discussions that delved into the rapidly evolving AI landscape. Senior executives from leading technology firms, including semiconductor design giant Arm, Microsoft, telecommunications equipment manufacturer Huawei, robot vacuum leader Ecovacs, and Israeli security firm Check Point, were among the notable attendees.
Experts at the event projected that while AI agents and AI-based task robots would assist human labor in the short term, the long-term impact would be the creation of entirely new job categories. Professor Goldberg noted the current limitations of AI-based robotic technology, highlighting its struggles with seemingly simple tasks like folding laundry without human intervention. He forecasted that while a future with universal humanoid robots is possible, the immediate future would see specialized robots taking over repetitive and automatable daily tasks.
Mohamed Awad, Senior Vice President at Arm, addressed the increasing power consumption associated with the AI era. He stated that Arm is committed to developing a low-power AI infrastructure ecosystem capable of delivering peak performance with minimal energy use.
The discussions also touched upon the broader shift in the AI market towards ‘physical AI,’ which integrates AI with robots and autonomous vehicles. Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, had previously declared this impending era, noting the “trillion-dollar growth potential” of the physical AI-based robotics industry. This shift, following the eras of recognition-based and generative AI, is seen as a critical next-generation national strategic technology, with countries like the United States and China already making proactive investments.
Also Read:
- Navigating the AI Era: Strategic Workforce Adaptation for Sustainable Growth and Investment
- New Study Reveals Pre-Generative AI Roots of Technology-Driven Job Displacement, Disproportionately Affecting Young Workers
Overall, the SMARTCLOUD SHOW 2025 painted a picture of a future where AI and robotics are integral to human progress, augmenting our abilities and opening doors to unprecedented innovation and economic growth.
