GS Group chief makes surprise appearance at AX conference, urges 'together, simultaneously' approach

"The core of the AI transformation — what GS calls AX — is building a culture where employees solve problems on the ground together, simultaneously, working in a voluntary and creative way."

GS Group Chairman Huh Tae-soo made a surprise appearance at "52g Day," the group's annual AX conference held May 22 at GS Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Dressed casually in a hoodie, Huh briefly outlined the direction GS should take in the age of AI. The event, organized by 52g — GS Group's open innovation community — is held each year to share innovation cases from GS employees who use AI directly in the field. It drew members from 21 GS affiliates as well as 150 AX managers from roughly 60 outside companies.

Huh said the keywords for survival in the AI era are "together, simultaneously." To keep pace with rapidly shifting AI trends, he said, employees must share their individual AI know-how and work collectively toward solutions.

"The heart of AX is not simply adopting AI technology," Huh said. "It is employees in the field solving problems together." He added that while challenges lie ahead, employees can only stay competitive in the AI era by working "together, simultaneously," and that relying solely on a top-down approach — where goals are set at the top and handed down to the front line — has its limits.

Huh closed by saying GS Group would share the AX experience and know-how it has accumulated, and urged attendees to apply the lessons to their own workplaces and report back.

Huh has consistently championed AX since taking office in 2020, believing GS can advance to the next level only when employees build the capacity to solve field problems directly using AI. Under that conviction, GS has developed and run a range of programs aimed at strengthening employees' AI capabilities.