Directions and Suggestions for Education in Artificial Intelligence and Biotechnology Convergence in the 4th Industrial Revolution

In the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution, artificial intelligence(AI) and big data are considered representative techniques and are being converged with a variety of industrial fields, including the biomedical and pharmaceutical sectors. In line with the latest trend, the demand for the knowledge and capabilities regarding AI is increasing. In this research, we suggest directions of the education in biotechnology and AI convergence. We employ the focus group interview(FGI) and the in-depth interview(IDI) to investigate the opinions of specialists belonging to biopharmaceutical, medical and AI fields. The results are summarized as follows. The convergence education of AI and biotechnology is presently required to the biotechnology trainee. Advancing into the bio-convergence industry is currently limited to college graduates majored in biotechnology. Specialists participated in this study affirm that bio major students should attain logic and mathematics in studying AI and programming, which leads to the direction of education with the convergence of AI and biotechnology. This research confirmed the AI proficiency required for bioconvergence workers and suggested the direction of vocational education to be implemented for college students and graduates in the future.