The Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, known as KOSME, said it is stepping up efforts to strengthen employees’ artificial intelligence skills and data-use capabilities as organizations move into an era of AI transformation.
KOSME said Tuesday that 10 teams have advanced to the finals of its in-house AI transformation, or AX, challenge. The selected teams will begin developing AI-based services aimed at solving on-the-job problems.
The AX challenge is an internal innovation competition in which employees identify inefficiencies in their work and build AI-based services to address them, or use AI coding tools to improve tasks. KOSME said the program is designed so nonprofessional developers can lead service development.
The challenge is being held in two categories — improving work efficiency and enhancing customer service — and drew 41 submissions. After an internal review, KOSME selected 10 projects it said showed strong creativity and potential for practical use and wider adoption.
Selected projects include an “AI-based program to check performance indicators for policy loans,” an “AI-based assistant for corporate evaluation work,” and an “upgrade of the safety and health management system through AI-based ad hoc risk assessments.”
KOSME said it will run an intensive training program from May through August to improve AI skills for the 10 teams and provide one-on-one coaching by experts to support implementation and service upgrades. It plans to conduct user testing and verify service stability through October, then select and reward four best cases in November.
KOSME previously received the top rating in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s “2025 data-based administration evaluation.” It also won a minister’s award at a government innovation competition and received a citation for contributions to promoting the data industry.
Lee Byeong-cheol, KOSME’s vice president, said the agency will “strengthen employees’ ability to use AI and continue to produce tangible results in work innovation that the public can feel in everyday life.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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