(Andong=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Seung-hyung = The Gyeongbuk Institute of Agricultural Technology announced on the 12th that it has signed a business agreement with the Gyeongbuk Cooperative Council of the Korea Agro-Industrial Complex Association for the "establishment of an AI-based plant factory-type smart farm and the conversion of the agro-industrial complex into a future industry." In the future, they will push for joint development of plant factory-type smart farm technology verification and standardization models, field research on regionally suitable varieties and data-based optimal environmental conditions, establishment of a cultivation manual and technology standardization system, operation of on-site training and competency enhancement programs for professionals, and exploration of new collaborative businesses and joint research. The Agricultural Technology Institute plans to establish a plant factory-type smart farm by applying its own newly developed strawberry "Vita King" and other new varieties, as well as its patented vertical farming technology, which allows crops to be grown in a stacked manner in apartment-style settings. In addition, they plan to integrate their own developed and operated agricultural encyclopedia function and generative AI technology that can control equipment and machinery. In the rapidly changing environment of a deepening climate crisis, a shrinking labor population, and the advent of the age of artificial intelligence and robots, plant factory cultivation can produce crops reliably, and the combination of artificial intelligence and robots can significantly reduce the labor force. President Cho Young-sook of the Gyeongbuk Institute of Agricultural Technology said, "We will merge agriculture and manufacturing to convert the traditional industries of the agro-industrial complex into future industries in the form of plant factories and swiftly put advanced technology into practical use to create new growth engines." haru@yna.co.kr