Culture ministry sets humanities festival against the age of AI

The culture ministry said Friday it will hold the 2026 Humanities Culture Festival in Seoul from Nov. 6 to 8, framing this year's edition around "human intelligence" — the capacity to question, judge and choose a direction for one's life as artificial intelligence supplies more of the answers.

The ministry is organizing the three-day event with the Korea Arts and Culture Education Service at Layer Studio 11 in Mapo District, with related humanities programs running across the country before and after the festival. It said the theme reflects a judgment that the value of the humanities grows more important in an era when AI presents conclusions, not less.

The program is organized under three sub-themes — ownership of thought, the uniqueness of experience, and the rediscovery of relationships — and is built so that visitors meet the ideas through conversation, performance, exhibitions and hands-on activities. Events include a policy debate on the third basic plan for the humanities, a series of public dialogues, and an evening program blending poetry and music.

On opening day, former professional Go player Lee Se-dol and producer Choi Sung-un will discuss "a move artificial intelligence cannot make."

Away from the main venue, the festival reaches readers through 10 regional bookstores that will recommend titles and host author talks, and humanities policy projects such as the Youth Humanities Classroom and Humanities on the Road will run at 193 locations nationwide through November.

"Even in the age of artificial intelligence, it is ultimately people who set the direction of life, and that strength comes from the humanities," said Jeong Hyang-mi, head of the ministry's culture and arts policy office. "I hope this festival becomes a chance for each citizen to discover their own human intelligence and for the humanities to become a force in daily life."

Jeong said the government has set next year's humanities budget at 25.9 billion won ($19.3 million), an 11.9 percent increase.