A music major interested in on-device AI. A trainee who worked in an intensive care unit and wants to improve clinical systems. A broadcasting and video production major preparing for a career in data engineering.

They are among the 1,050 trainees who comprise the 16th cohort of Samsung Software·AI Academy for Youth, or SSAFY, this summer. Training began across five campuses in Korea following their admission ceremony on July 23.

Students from SSAFY’s 16th cohort attend the opening ceremony at the Seoul Campus.

While their backgrounds may differ, they reflect something SSAFY has demonstrated since its launch in 2018. Learning about software development and AI does not always mean leaving previous experience behind. For many participants, it means adding new skills to their toolbelts and finding another way to utilize that knowledge.

For Jong-ha Kim, that starting point was healthcare. While working in an intensive care unit at a university hospital, he saw a need for better data pipeline development in clinical settings. He joined SSAFY hoping to connect his medical experience with IT and design systems that could improve healthcare environments.

Da-bin Lee majored in music and is now interested in on-device AI. Ji-an Lee studied broadcasting and video production before pursuing data engineering. Min-ji Kim, who studied fisheries and life sciences, chose a career as a developer after becoming drawn to the process of forming hypotheses, implementing them and narrowing down the cause of a problem.

Building on Different Starting Points

Samsung launched SSAFY in December 2018 to provide young job seekers with structured software education and employment support. The one-year program currently includes 1,725 hours of training at no cost, with eight hours of study each day. Self-directed learning and collaborative projects help participants build practical software development skills.

Trainees from SSAFY’s 12th cohort during a group session

The curriculum has continued to evolve to keep up with changing technology. Recent participants have received training in AI, including practical projects, a dedicated data track and work with robotics. Trainees also use AI development infrastructure and work on problems drawn from companies and real-world settings.

Before joining SSAFY’s 14th group, Yun-joo Nam worked as a mathematics instructor. Interested in software development after discovering AI but unsure where to begin, Yun-joo joined the program and worked on projects including an emergency communication app for areas with limited network coverage and an AI healthcare app for blood glucose management. The experience shifted Yun-joo’s focus from simply learning how to use a new technology to deciding how it could best be used.

“Through this program, I learned not simply how to use AI, but how to select and apply the right technology for a given problem,” Yun-joo said.

Ja-hong Koo, another participant in the same group, reached a similar conclusion through a project with Samsung Electronics’ Network Business. Working with actual business data and industry professionals gave him an experience beyond just studying in a classroom.

Ja-hong said the project taught him that understanding the problem comes before choosing the technology. He described SSAFY as a place where participants can turn existing academic knowledge and technical skills into something they can apply in practice. He is now pursuing a career as a software developer in the AI semiconductor field.

After four years as an elementary school teacher, Eun-seon Jeong joined SSAFY’s 12th cohort to pursue software development and create tools that could make everyday life easier. As someone without a computer science background, Jeong said the program’s structured curriculum and collaborative atmosphere helped her build her confidence and clarify her direction as a developer.

Recalling a project she did with Samsung Electronics’ Digital Appliances (DA) Business, “The project broadened my perspective beyond technology,” Eun-seon said. “I also realized that explaining technology is an important skill for developers.”

Jeong is now a developer at Samsung Electronics.

Eight Years, by the Numbers

Since its launch in December 2018, SSAFY has expanded its reach and evolved its curriculum:



Company-linked projects also give trainees opportunities to work on problems closer to those they may encounter after graduation.

The 16th cohort of Samsung Software·AI Academy for Youth (SSAFY)

Nearly eight years after SSAFY first began training, the 16th cohort is now underway. Over the coming year, participants will build on what they already know as they develop their own paths in software and AI.