LG Electronics is taking steps to enhance the AI skills and career opportunities for disabled youth.
From July 15 to 16, LG Electronics will host the 2026 Global IT Challenge for Youth with Disabilities (GITC) in Daejeon at the Ramada by Wyndham Daejeon. The event is co-hosted by LG and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, with LG Electronics and the Korea Disabled People’s Rehabilitation Association serving as co-organizers.
This year’s competition will incorporate generative AI skills into the evaluation categories, further emphasizing AI education.
The GITC, which began in 2011, aims to improve IT skills and support social integration for disabled youth. To date, over 5,000 participants from 41 countries have taken part. Last year, the event garnered international attention as a side event of the APEC Leaders' Meeting.
Sixty disabled youth selected from 17 regions across the country will participate in this year’s Korean competition. Participants will compete in four categories: 'e-Combination,' which assesses AI-based information retrieval and document creation skills; 'e-Creative,' focused on autonomous vehicle programming; 'e-Content,' which evaluates video production skills; and 'e-Interactive,' which involves creating interactive games using AI.
The top four participants will represent Korea at the world competition in Da Nang, Vietnam, from October 27 to 29.
Prior to the competition, LG Electronics provided all participants with online and offline training on generative AI usage, video production, and block coding. Additional advanced training for the world competition representatives is planned for September.
The competition has also led to tangible outcomes in education and employment. Shin Gi-hoon, the winner of the 2011 Vietnam competition, is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in embedded systems at Pusan National University, focusing on AI implementation in smart devices.
Yoon Dae-sik, Executive Vice President of LG Electronics’ External Cooperation Division, stated, "Through GITC, we will actively support youth with dreams and talents in the IT field to grow into future talents equipped with AI skills, overcoming their disabilities."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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