The South Korean government is collaborating with private experts to develop policy alternatives in response to changes in corporate management, workforce utilization, and the labor market due to the spread of artificial intelligence (AI).
On September 22, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the launch ceremony for the 'AI and the Future of Business Research Group,' which will begin focused discussions over the next two months.
This initiative follows the 'Future of Corporate Investment and Labor in the AI Era' forum held in July. The aim is to discuss how domestic companies and industries can leverage talent and performance to establish new growth foundations amid the changing global economy and industrial structure due to the AI revolution.
The research group will be chaired by Professor Andong-hyun of Seoul National University, with Professor Lee Jun-young of Sungkyunkwan University and Professor Lee Sang-hee of Korea University of Technology and Education serving as heads of the workforce retraining and training subcommittee and the labor market flexibility and stability subcommittee, respectively. Experts from various fields, including economics, business, engineering, law, and talent development, will participate as subcommittee members.
The group plans to broadly discuss strategies for corporate growth and future responses in the AI era, the industrial spread of AI transformation (AX) and infrastructure development, talent education and training, and enhancing labor market flexibility and stability.
Particularly, the discussions will focus on retraining and developing talent necessary for the AI era, as well as efficient workforce allocation and mobility, performance, and compensation systems. The aim is to address the changes in corporate workforce utilization not just as a matter of technology adoption but also in terms of organizational structure, workforce management, and overall labor market systems.
Over the next two months, the research group will conduct discussions by subcommittee and prepare a policy proposal led by the private sector. After gathering additional opinions from labor and management experts, the proposal will be finalized and submitted to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. This approach aims to clarify the challenges of industrial and workforce policies resulting from AI transformation through discussions among private experts rather than having the government set the policy direction first.
During the launch ceremony, Deputy Minister Moon Shin-hak highlighted key tasks for the research group, including the direction of corporate responses in the AI era, talent development aligned with the AI revolution, and adapting corporate workforce utilization systems to the needs of the AI era. He emphasized, 'In this age of rapid survival, South Korea must prepare for future industries quickly, flexibly, and boldly to remain a leading manufacturing nation in the AI era.'
He also stated, 'New discussions must take place regarding the concept of labor in the AI era, including work hours, efficient workforce allocation and mobility, and performance and compensation.'
* This article has been translated by AI.
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