Physical AI — When AI Leaves the Screen and Enters the Real World
ChatGPT explains how to make coffee. Physical AI actually makes it. The technology poised to transform $50T in physical industries, explained simply.
2026
Jihwan Woo
Designing strategies that turn AI technology into business value
Ph.D · MBA · Author · AI R&D Leader · KAIST · Korea Univ. Adjunct Professor · AI Technical Advisor · AI Project Evaluator
AI Research & Engineering × Technology Strategy & Innovation × AI-driven Finance
Featured & Cited In
Forbes
Dong-A Business Review
Korea Chamber of Commerce
KOITA
Korea Data Agency
SW Policy Institute
KAIST
IEEE
About
I work at the intersection of three disciplines: AI Research & Engineering rooted in computer vision at KAIST, Technology Strategy & Innovation with a Ph.D. from Korea University, and AI-driven Finance built on a KAIST MBA. Through the convergence of these three domains, I design and execute the process of turning technology into business value.
18+Years Experience
36+Publications
30+Patents · 5 Countries
9Books
Designing where technology becomes business value
Adopting AI alone is not enough.
What problem to solve, why now, and how to embed it in the organization —
I find answers at the intersection of technology, strategy, and execution.
01
AI Strategy & Digital Transformation
"We need to adopt AI, but don't know where to start."
I have designed and executed AI transformation across manufacturing, finance, retail, and logistics. I build actionable roadmaps that bridge the gap between technological potential and organizational reality.
02
Technical Advisory & Due Diligence
"Is this technology really worth the investment?"
Drawing on research experience at CMU Robotics Institute and credentials as a certified technology broker and technology valuator, I assess the technical feasibility and business potential of AI/ML architectures for PE funds and M&A targets.
03
Technology Valuation
"We want an objective assessment of our technology assets."
With a Ph.D. in Management of Technology and a patent portfolio spanning 5 countries (30+ patents), I provide quantitative and qualitative valuation of technology assets.
04
Speaking & Thought Leadership
"Our team needs to feel the impact of the AI era firsthand."
I have delivered keynotes and lectures at KOITA, Korea Chamber of Commerce, and KAIST for industry leaders and practitioners on AI trends and digital innovation strategy.
05
Industry White Papers & Research
"We need a credible report on industry trends."
I have authored industry white papers in retail, finance, and software sectors in collaboration with Korea Chamber of Commerce, Korea Data Agency, and Software Policy & Research Institute. 7 books and 36+ papers back my research capabilities.
Selected Engagements
Led Korea's first Trustworthy AI research at a Top 3 commercial bank. Developed XAI-based credit rating migration model; research paper ranked in top 5% on DBPIA.
As Head of AI Research at a major Korean retail/logistics conglomerate, planned and executed AI-driven Digital Transformation across retail, logistics, manufacturing, and media/entertainment.
Developed and deployed smartphone camera AI IP (CartoonShot) at a global electronics company. Smartwatch UX/UI proposal featured in Forbes as 'Next Display'.
Authored industry white papers for Korea Chamber of Commerce, Korea Data Agency, and Software Policy & Research Institute (retail, finance, SW sectors).
Technology valuation and Technical Due Diligence for PE funds and M&A targets. Advisory member of National Standards Agency's Industrial AI Standardization Forum.
Adjunct Professor at KAIST & Korea University (7 years) — AI Finance, Technology Management. Contributor to Dong-A Business Review (DBR) & KOITA.
Latest Insights
Recent writings at the intersection of industry and technology.
Harness Engineering — It's the System, Not the Model, That Makes the Agent
OpenAI's 1M-line experiment, LangChain's 25-rank leap. The real key to AI agent performance is the harness, not the model.
2026TurboQuant — Rewriting the AI Memory Equation
How Google's KV cache compression works, and its ripple effects across the AI value chain — from semiconductors to on-device AI.
2026The Age of Physical AI — CES 2026 Field Report
AI has left the screen and entered the physical world. NVIDIA Physical AI, Zoox robotaxi ride, and an expert's analysis of industrial implications.
2026The Rise of Neuro-Symbolic AI — 'Socratic AI' That Reasons and Explains
Analyzing the emergence of a next-generation AI paradigm that goes beyond deep learning with logical reasoning and explainability, and its industrial implications.
2025Innovation in Logistics & Retail Through Artificial Intelligence
How AI is transforming supply chain management, demand forecasting, and delivery optimization — with industry case studies.
2024Digital Transformation and AI Strategy
The role of AI in enterprise digital transformation, with actionable strategies for execution and organizational embedding.
2023Three Research Pillars
Depth in technology, breadth in strategy, pragmatism in finance — researching at the intersection of all three.
01
AI Research & Engineering
CS-based AI R&D
Research and industrial application of core AI technologies including computer vision, generative AI, LLMs, 3D point cloud, and HDR. From MPEG standardization at Samsung Research, visiting research at CMU Robotics Institute, to cloud-scale AI architecture design at AWS.
Computer Vision
Generative AI & LLMs
MLOps
3D Point Cloud
Deep Learning
NLP & XAI
KAIST Ph.D. (ABD), Computer Vision
30+ Patents across 5 countries
Samsung Electronics Staff Engineer (10yr)
CMU Robotics Institute Visiting Scholar
02
Technology Strategy & Innovation
Management of Technology
Research on technology valuation, digital transformation, and open innovation strategy. Academically investigating the mechanisms by which technology converts to business value, and executing in industry.
Technology Valuation
Digital Transformation
Open Innovation
R&D Strategy
Technical Due Diligence
Korea Univ. Ph.D., Management of Technology
Korea Univ. M.O.T Adjunct Professor (4.5yr)
CJ OliveNetworks Head of AI Research
Industry White Papers (4)
03
AI-driven Finance
AI-based Financial Research
FinTech innovation research including financial forecasting, credit scoring, and explainable AI frameworks using AI/ML. Connecting hands-on experience at Shinhan Bank AI Competency Center and Kakaobank to academic research.
FinTech
Credit Rating with XAI
Price Prediction
Digital Finance
Investment Strategy
KAIST MBA, Digital Finance
KAIST Adjunct Professor, DL for Finance
Shinhan Bank AI Competency Center
Kakaobank Manager
Where the Three Pillars Converge
With AI expertise, I know what can be built. With technology management, I understand why and how value is created. In the finance domain, I deliver real business impact. Currently at AWS, I accelerate AI innovation for partners and customers through the convergence of these three pillars.
Experience
2025.05 – Present
Senior Specialist Partner SA - AI/ML
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
AIStrategyFinance
APJ region AI/ML innovation. Scalable AI architecture design, partner enablement, and thought leadership.
2022.05 – 2025.05
Head of AI Research
CJ OliveNetworks
AIStrategy
Led AI research lab. Planned and executed AI-driven DX across CJ Group's manufacturing, retail, logistics, and media/entertainment businesses. MLOps, Generative AI, LLM, smart factory analytics. Government R&D projects.
2021.11 – 2022.05
Manager
Kakaobank
FinanceStrategy
Strategic investment process development. Emerging technology research (No/Low Code, Quantum Computing).
2020.04 – 2021.11
Manager - AI Competency Center
Shinhan Bank
AIFinance
Led Korea's first Trustworthy AI research in banking. Developed XAI-based credit rating migration model (top 5% on DBPIA). AI open innovation, startup Technical Due Diligence.
2010.09 – 2020.04
Staff Engineer
Samsung Electronics
AIStrategy
Next-gen multimedia research (Super Resolution, 3D PCC, HDR, SLAM). Smartphone camera AI IP (CartoonShot) development. Smartwatch UX/UI — featured in Forbes as 'Samsung's Next Display'. Overseas R&D center management and open innovation.
2013.04 – 2014.03
Visiting Scholar - Robotics Institute
Carnegie Mellon University
AI
Computer Vision research (Video Segmentation). Technology startup scouting and evaluation.
Academic
2022.12 – 2025.02
Adjunct Professor
KAIST College of Business
AIFinance
Deep Learning for Finance lectures and AI-based FinTech research.
2020.03 – 2024.08
Adjunct Professor
Korea University Graduate School of M.O.T
AIStrategy
AI-driven innovation strategy lectures. Venture company technology advisory.
Professional Activities
Government R&D Evaluator
2019.10 – Present
Evaluator
Institute for Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation (IITP)
Commercialization project evaluation
2020.01 – Present
Evaluator
Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA)
2020.05 – Present
Evaluator
National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA)
2021.10 – Present
Evaluator
Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs (TIPA)
SME technology development support program
2022.03 – Present
Evaluator
Korea Data Agency (KData)
Standardization & Technical Advisory
2020.10 – Present
National Body Delegate
Korean Standards Association
Korean delegate for ISO/TC20/SC16 — Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) international standardization
2018.06 – 2020.12
Technical Advisor
KOICA
Technical advisory for Dominican Republic startups — VR/AR, 3D Printing, Electrical circuit simulation
Organizations
2025.01 – Present
Member
Digital Society Korea
Discourse on digital economy principles, ethics, and social order in the age of digital transformation
Publications
AI Books (9)
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AI in Literature, Animation, and Masterpieces 3 volumes · CommBooks · 2025 AI in Literature AI in Animation AI in Masterpieces
Strategy Industry White Papers (4)
- 2025 Distribution Industry White PaperKorea Chamber of Commerce
- 2024/2023 Data Industry White Paper - Finance SectorKorea Data Agency
- 2022 Software Industry Annual ReportSoftware Policy & Research Institute
Journal & Conference Papers
AI Generative AI & LLMs
- HyDE-Based Multi-Hop Retrieval ApproachInformation Systems Review · 2025
- DPUSING: Dual Path U-NETS for Singing Voice SynthesisIEEE BigComp 2024
AIFinance AI-driven Prediction
- Forecasting the System Marginal Price (SMP) TrendInformation Systems Review · 2025
- Study on Credit Rating Model Using Explainable AIJournal of the Korean Data & Information Science Society · 2021
AI Computer Vision & Deep Learning
- AI-Driven Component-Level Vehicle Damage AnalysisIEEE ICCE 2025
- GuaRD: Guaranteed Robustness of Image Retrieval SystemPLoS ONE 2023 · Q1
- Probabilistic Matching of Line Segments for Their HomographyIAPR ICPR 2008 · Oral · ~5% Acceptance
Selected papers shown. Full list on Google Scholar.
Invited Talks
Delivering practical AI insights through talks bridging industry and academia.
AIStrategy
Innovation in Logistics/Retail Through AI
KOITA · Technology Management Practitioner Program
AIStrategy
Retail/Logistics AI Innovation & Consumer Trends
12th Distribution Industry Week · Korea Chamber of Commerce
AI
The Future of AI: Physical AI
KOITA · Digital Online Seminar · 2025
AIStrategy
The New World Created by Generative AI
KAIST College of Business · 2024
In the Press
Patents
30+Registered/Filed
5 CountriesKR(15) · US(8) · EP(4) · CN(3) · JP(1)
AI AI & Machine Learning
- AI-Powered Video Generation SystemKR · 2025
- Neural Network-Based Voice Signal TransmissionEP / KR · 2022–2024
- Meat Aging Apparatus Using AIUS / KR · 2023
AI 3D Vision & Point Cloud
- 3D Data Encoding/Decoding MethodsEP / KR · 2023–2024
AI Immersive Media & VR/AR
- Omni-Directional Image ProcessingUS / EP / CN · 2020–2023
- VR Content Delivery SystemUS / KR · 2020–2021
AI Image Processing & Consumer Electronics
- Video Segmentation ApparatusUS / KR · 2015–2019
- Wearable Device with Projected UIUS / KR · 2019
- Composite Image PhotographyUS / JP / CN · 2014–2019
Education
Pillar 1 · AI
Ph.D. (ABD), Computer Vision
KAIST · 2004–2009
M.S., Electrical & Electronics Engineering
KAIST · 2002–2004
B.S., Electrical & Electronics Engineering
KAIST · 1998–2002
Pillar 2 · Strategy
Ph.D., Management of Technology
Korea University · 2012–2019
A Study on Determinants of Technological Innovation Capacity and Technological Innovation Performance
📄 Dissertation (RISS)Pillar 3 · Finance
MBA, Digital Finance
KAIST College of Business · 2020–2022
Certifications & Awards
Certifications
- Certified Technology Broker MOTIE · 2019
- Certified Technology Valuator (KCVA) 2021
- Big Data Analyst MSIT · 2022
- Project Management Professional (PMP) PMI · 2023
Honors & Awards
- Fujitsu Scholarship - GLIK
- Korean Intelligence Robot Competition Winner
- Samsung Electronics Annual Awards
- Best Paper Award - KPA 2018
Contact
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