Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) AI Design Department is holding its first graduation exhibition, 『null』, at the Gallery on the 1st floor of the Art Building until Tuesday, September 30. At the opening ceremony held on Wednesday, the 24th, the university's executive leadership, including the Vice President for Planning, toured the exhibition and witnessed the bright future of the AI Design Department students.

Titled 『null』, signifying undefined potential and direction, the exhibition carries a dual meaning. In today's world where AI is commonplace, it represents the new career paths and visions that Kookmin University's AI Design majors will pioneer, each utilizing technology in their own unique way.

The AI Design Department at Kookmin University aims to cultivate talents equipped with both technological and humanistic/engineering insights, going beyond mere ‘AI application skills’. To achieve this, it has developed engineering-based subjects—such as statistics, computer engineering, and industrial engineering—tailored for designers, integrating them into the curriculum from the first year to foster interdisciplinary thinking. This complements the department's traditional strengths in visual/product design and UI·UX design.

This exhibition showcases the culmination of interdisciplinary design education based on artificial intelligence (AI) technology, presenting the creative endeavors and research outcomes of the first graduating class through diverse works. It holds particular significance as it demonstrates the fusion of creative thinking—rooted in aesthetic perspectives, a traditional strength of Kookmin University in fields like visual design, industrial design, and video design—with AI technology.

Students presented works that combine various cutting-edge technologies with artistic imagination to offer new sensory experiences. Examples include a service that analyzes a person's facial expressions using AI and converts them, helping visually impaired individuals intuitively understand emotions in conversations, and a music video animation vividly expressing the moment suppressed emotions erupt through rhythm and voice. These works demonstrate the expandable potential of combining design and technology.

Jang Jung Sik, Dean of the College of Art and Design at Kookmin University, stated, “By creating a specialized field previously unseen at Kookmin University's prestigious College of Art and Design, the students of the AI Design Department have already equipped themselves with the creativity and problem-solving skills needed to respond most proactively to the Fourth Industrial Revolution era.” He added, “I cheer on the hopeful futures of our graduating students.”

Professor Ju Da Young, Head of the AI Design Department at Kookmin University, remarked, “This graduation exhibition will showcase the achievements of the interdisciplinary education pursued by the AI Design Department while proving that our students are fully equipped to lead the future design industry.”

She further emphasized, “It is also a remarkable achievement that students admitted through both the regular admissions process (skill-based selection) and the rolling admissions comprehensive evaluation (non-skill-based selection) have, regardless of their admission pathway, undergone the department's systematic curriculum and produced competitive results after four years.”