The 21st SBS D Forum (SDF) will be held on November 13 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP).

This year’s forum, themed “Redesigning the Zero Era: Rewriting Innovation” (SDF2025), will bring together world-renowned economists and AI experts to explore the meaning of “innovation” in an era of growing uncertainty. As global markets and trade orders are being rapidly reshaped by factors such as the U.S.-led tariff wars and intensifying U.S.-China tech rivalry, nations now face a critical turning point where the great AI transformation could determine their future. The forum poses a central question for an age of stalled growth: “What should we discard, and what should we rebuild?”

The opening keynote speaker, Professor Fei-Fei Li, often called the “Godmother of AI,” is the creator of ImageNet, the image database that taught computers how to “see.” Her pioneering work laid the foundation for technologies such as Google Lens, DALL-E, autonomous vehicles, and facial recognition systems—the cornerstones of today’s AI revolution. Professor Li will share her insights on “Next-Generation AI,” emphasizing that “If we want AI to truly evolve, we must build AI that can not only see and speak—but also act.”



Also drawing attention is the joint lecture by Lee Sung Soo, CAO of SM Entertainment, and Kangta, the company’s Creative Director, titled “30 Years of SM, 30 Years of K-pop.”



Lee Sung Soo, a veteran A&R expert who has been at the forefront of the K-pop industry for over 20 years, and Kangta, a renowned vocalist, lyricist, composer, and producer, will share their perspectives on the past, present, and future of K-pop. They emphasize that even in the era of AI, what remains irreplaceable are emotion and storytelling, asserting that K-pop has yet to reach its peak. The two will reflect on the innovations that elevated K-pop to its current global status and discuss the challenges it must overcome to continue evolving as a genre.



The 21st SBS D Forum will be broadcast live on SBS-TV starting at 8:30 a.m. on November 13.


Written by Han Hae Seon
Translated by Lee So Yun