SNU professor becomes first Korean to make TIME's 100

Professor Lee Kyo-gu of Seoul National University's Convergence Science and Technology Institute has become the first Korean selected as one of TIME's '100 Most Influential People in Artificial Intelligence (AI).'

On Thursday (local time), TIME announced its 'TIME 100 AI 2024' list, with Professor Lee honored in the 'Pioneer' category. The list features 100 AI researchers globally recognized for their outstanding achievements over the past year, categorized into Leader, Innovator, Thinker, and Pioneer.

Professor Lee, who also founded Supertone, a subsidiary of Hive, is actively collaborating in areas such as music and film through AI voice technology. Notably, he has used AI to recreate the voices of late musicians Kim Kwang-seok, Kim Hyun-sik, and Yoo Jae-ha. “The K-pop industry has been experimenting with AI technology faster than the American music industry,” TIME remarked. “Professor Lee is at the center of this change.”

“We believe that our technology will help creators better convey their original messages and take the relationship between fans and artists to the next level,” Professor Lee said in an interview with TIME. Joining industry giants such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and actress Scarlett Johansson, Professor Lee stands among this year's 100 most influential figures in AI.


최원영 기자 o0@donga.com