We’re excited to announce the first keynote speaker confirmed for IFLA WLIC 2026: Jiho Cha
Jiho Cha
Jiho Cha, M.D., Ph.D., is a Member of the National Assembly of Korea, and Under-Secretary General for future strategies of the Democratic Party of Korea. Before joining politics, he was a professor of future strategies at KAIST in South Korea and of humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, UK. After completing his clinical training in 2005, he has worked for North Korean and other marginalized populations around the world through non-governmental, governmental, and international organizations.
His research and policy work focus on the global AI transformation in the era of polycrisis, particularly on designing the framework of the AI Universal Basic Society (AI-UBS). He earned a Ph.D in International Health at Johns Hopkins University, an M.D. from Dong-A University, and an M.Sc. in Forced Migration at the University of Oxford.
Jiho Cha will be speaking on “The AI Universal Basic Society: Redefining Intelligence Infrastructure for a Sustainable Future”.
This keynote introduces the vision of an AI Universal Basic Society, in which artificial intelligence serves as a vital public good and universal infrastructure. It examines how AI is fundamentally transforming the information landscape and explores the evolving role of libraries as essential public institutions—ensuring that the transition from information to intelligence benefits all of humanity through trusted, equitable, and inclusive access to knowledge.
Exact date and time to be confirmed.