Three options for companies to survive the physical AI era

The Busan Chamber of Commerce held its 284th Busan Economic Forum on Wednesday morning at Lotte Hotel Busan, under the theme "Three Options for the AI and Physical AI Era."

The forum drew about 220 local business leaders and officials, including chamber President Yang Jae-saeng, Vice Presidents Kang Dong-seok, Shin Chun, Lee Su-tae and Moon Chang-seop, and auditors Kim Yeong-deuk and Kwon Gi-jae. Also in attendance were Busan Dong-gu District Mayor Kang Cheol-ho, Busan Regional Office of Small and Medium Venture Business Director Lee Cheong-il, Dongmyeong University President Lee Sang-cheon and BNK Financial Group Chairman Bin Dae-in.

Park Nam-gyu, a professor at Seoul National University, delivered the keynote address, outlining strategies for companies to sustain growth amid the new paradigm defined by AI and physical AI. He presented three management options for navigating the AI transition: large-scale investment, integration of AI with existing business operations, and creative management combining AI with physical AI.

"The business environment in the AI era is seeing a radical shift in the very paradigm of value creation," Park said. "We are at a point where executives must go beyond improving the efficiency of existing operations — they need the innovation and resolve to boldly fuse new technology and business models to reinvent the very processes of their businesses."

Chamber President Yang said the emergence of physical AI, which connects directly to the real world beyond generative AI, is driving transformation across industries including manufacturing, logistics and services. "With the government's AI development policy in place, it is now a critical moment for regional companies to leverage AI for productivity innovation and the creation of new industries," he said.