CJ Logistics holds recruitment-linked logistics tech competition, vows to 'actively discover AI talent'

CJ Logistics announced Tuesday that its logistics technology competition, the Future Technology Challenge 2026, concluded successfully. The company held the contest to solve real-world logistics problems and identify technology talent with a strong understanding of field operations.

CJ Logistics held the awards ceremony Monday at its headquarters in Jongno-gu, Seoul, presenting 20 million won ($14,000) in prize money to the two winning teams — one for each challenge category. Now in its sixth year, the competition drew 208 teams and 338 participants, generating a competition ratio of roughly 104 to 1.

The Future Technology Challenge is a hands-on competition in which participants develop AI algorithms to solve problems that arise in actual logistics operations. Grand prize winners receive not only prize money but also exemptions from the document screening and first-round interview stages when applying for positions at CJ Logistics. Since its inaugural edition in 2021, a cumulative 1,080 teams and 2,135 individuals have taken part, and 29 alumni of the competition have gone on to join the company's TES Logistics Technology Research Institute.

This year's competition featured two challenges: "CCTV Video-Based Freight Object Analysis," which required developing an AI algorithm to recognize and estimate the volume of products moving along a rail, and "Random Palletizing Algorithm," which called for developing an algorithm to stack boxes of varying sizes and shapes as efficiently and safely as possible.

In the first challenge, the "Room 148" team from Kyung Hee University — comprising Lee Chan, Oh Yun-jin and Im Ju-hyeon — took the grand prize. The team earned the top score by demonstrating stable performance in identifying the type and size of freight even from new video data not included in the AI training set.

In the second challenge, the "UOS-RoboStack" team from the University of Seoul — comprising Hong Su-hyeon, Kim Yeon-jae and Lee Yu-min — claimed the grand prize. The team was recognized for achieving stable palletizing performance even when handling new freight conditions involving boxes of different sizes and shapes.

Kim Jeong-hee, director of the TES Logistics Technology Research Institute at CJ Logistics, said the key to AI competitiveness lies in securing talent that understands real logistics operations. "We will continue to actively discover and nurture AI talent capable of leading technological innovation in the logistics industry through the Future Technology Challenge," she said.

Meanwhile, CJ Logistics has been expanding its customer touchpoints through a range of marketing activities, including a brand campaign for its integrated delivery brand O-NE across major platforms such as TV commercials, Instagram and YouTube.