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The Art & Technology Lab (AT Lab; Director Lee Seung-mu) under the Center for Convergence Arts at the Korea National University of Arts (President Pyeon Jang-wan, hereinafter K-ARTS) presented its flagship advanced contents, including the AI artwork Diamond Dust, at the 'Nobel Prize Dialogue Seoul 2026' held at the COEX Auditorium on Sunday, September 20.

Co-hosted by Nobel Prize Outreach (NPO) under the Nobel Foundation and the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST), the event is an official overseas special event of the Nobel Week Dialogue held annually in Sweden on December 9—the day before the Nobel Prize Ceremony. Marking its third edition in South Korea, this year's dialogue centered on the theme "The Future of Science Shaped by AI," featuring three Nobel laureates alongside prominent Korean and international scholars as speakers. Over 1,200 attendees gathered at the venue, and the event was live-streamed worldwide via the official Nobel Prize website and YouTube channel.

During the event, the AT Lab conducted a special session titled 'Exploring the Future of Visual Storytelling.' Styled as a conversation between Lee Seung-mu, Director of AT Lab, and Adam Smith, Chief Scientific Officer of Nobel Prize Outreach, the session drew significant attention when Professor David MacMillan of Princeton University—co-recipient of the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry—joined the stage as a 'special surprise guest.'

(좌) <다이아몬드 더스트> 포스터

(우) <다이아몬드 더스트> 시연 참여 중인 맥밀런 교수 (사진 출처: 한국과학기술한림원)

Prof. MacMillan personally participated in the live demonstration of AT Lab’s AI-driven interactive work Diamond Dust (directed by Jeon Nu-ri), engaging in a real-time, improvised conversation with 'Kardi,' an AI character depicting an ice fairy. Following the demonstration, Prof. MacMillan shared his impressions, stating, "I was truly surprised that I could experience various emotions, including joy, while conversing with an AI bot." He added, "It was a dynamically connected experience despite having no real human intervention." He also described the AI's ability to capture human attention and build emotional rapport as "remarkable."

노벨프라이즈 다이얼로그 서울 2026 현장 (사진 출처: 한국과학기술한림원)

In the subsequent panel discussion among the three speakers, in-depth discussions took place regarding the future of AI and creative practice, grounded in the evolution of advanced convergent artworks created by AT Lab. Introducing Diamond Dust—a project that explores the meaning of love and sacrifice through human-AI collaborative creation—Director Lee Seung-mu articulated his creative philosophy: "Even as an era arrives where AI can deliver meaningful stories to humans, artists must maintain creative control rather than entirely relinquishing direction to algorithms."

The event ran from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM across four sessions, covering major scientific issues including AI's contributions to scientific progress, shifts in scientific discovery methods, reliability verification in bioscience and healthcare, and the benefits and risks of AI. AT Lab’s presentation was the sole session dedicated to art and content, earning praise for enriching the event by presenting an exemplary case of successful convergence between cutting-edge technology and the arts.

Meanwhile, established in 2018 under the K-ARTS Center for Convergence Arts, the AT Lab is an art-and-technology convergence research lab that conducts creation, research, and education utilizing immersive media and generative AI. Its representative Scarecrow series achieved recognition as the first Korean work invited to the 'New Frontier' section at the Sundance Film Festival and won an award at the Raindance Film Festival. Furthermore, its works Scarecrow Re-kindle and Diamond Dust were presented at Ars Electronica, 8 PM and the Cat was selected for the Immersive Competition at the Venice International Film Festival, and Fly To You was showcased in the SXSW XR section, continually elevating the global stature of Korean convergent arts.