The number of Korean companies introducing artificial intelligence (AI) into their work is increasing rapidly. According to market research firm Strand Partner, about 500,000 companies in Korea have introduced AI over the past year, saving an average of 13 hours of work time and increasing sales by 21%.
Amazon Web Service (AWS) is contributing greatly to the transition of AI among Korean companies. AWS AI Zone, which AWS will create in SK Group and Ulsan, will be a venue for innovation for companies to experiment and apply the latest AI technologies.
However, the proportion of companies that use AI deeply in Korea is not high yet. Of the companies that have introduced AI, 70% use it for simple automation, and only 11% have applied it to strategic decision-making or product development.
“Ageptic AI,” which has recently attracted attention in the corporate field, is a technology that AI deduces and executes on its own to support problem solving and decision-making. When talented people are secured who can strategically utilize this, Korean companies can move beyond simple introduction to full-fledged AI transition.
In other words, the key to upgrading the use of AI is AI talents who can connect AI with business strategies. For this, the focus should be on practical competency development rather than theory.
AWS has been operating cloud and AI education programs in Korea since 2017 and has trained more than 300,000 talents. In particular, it is cultivating human resources that can be immediately put into the corporate field through customized learning that provides real business problem-solving experiences.
More importantly, it is providing opportunities for global cooperation to Korean companies to lay the groundwork for their global activities.
“Upstage,” which developed a language model “Solar” using AWS’ cloud and AI services and established a presence in the global market, and “Twelve Labs,” a video AI company that provides AI models to North America’s largest sports entertainment customers by developing models with AWS’ distributed machine learning training infrastructure.
Korea is now at an important crossroads. To achieve a qualitative leap beyond the initial results of AI introduction, it is necessary to focus on nurturing talent.
Change has already begun. Major industries such as semiconductors and smart manufacturing are opening new possibilities by combining with AI, and universities and companies are also focusing their efforts on practical education.
Korea’s status is also revealed on the global stage. It is in the same vein that many global leaders, including AWS CEO Matt Garman, will attend the APEC CEO Summit held in Gyeongju later this month. This shows that South Korea is recognized as a strategic partner to lead AI innovation together.
When AI innovation is rooted in people and organizational culture and combined with cloud and digital transformation, the investment effect is maximized. When education, corporate experience, technology and know-how of global partners are combined, a Korean AI talent training model can be completed.
With its educational infrastructure, manufacturing base, and fast technological adaptability, Korea is well qualified to lead the AI era. Now is the right time to leap to a leading AI country with a focus on nurturing talent.
[Ham Kiho, representative of AWS Korea]
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