Koo Kwang-mo tells LG presidents: 'Move fast, execute relentlessly to win AI race'

LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo has called on the conglomerate's top executives to move with speed and relentless execution to win what he described as the defining battleground of AI.

LG said Thursday that Koo chaired a presidents' meeting Wednesday at LG Inhwawon in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, bringing together about 40 senior executives from key affiliates including LG Electronics, LG Display, LG Innotek, LG Chem, LG Energy Solution and LG Uplus. The gathering, focused on refining the group's investment strategy, was the third such meeting this year, following sessions in March and June.

"AI is no longer an area where we can respond selectively — it is the core axis that will determine our future competitiveness," Koo told the assembled presidents. "I ask that our presidents equip themselves with speed and relentless execution so we can win on the AI battleground of the future."

With AI driving rapid shifts across industrial and technology paradigms, Koo and the presidents spent about eight hours discussing investment strategies and action plans to secure the group's long-term competitiveness.

The session focused particularly on reviewing existing investment outcomes and strategies across key AI priorities — AI factories, physical AI, semiconductors (materials and substrates) and AX (AI transformation).

The presidents agreed that investment direction should be set on the basis of clear goals and portfolio strategy, and that decision-making quality should be raised by refining scenario planning and validation processes in response to shifts in markets, competition and technology.

They also agreed to sharpen execution by seizing investment opportunities at the right moment amid rapid industry change and high uncertainty, and by boldly concentrating resources and capabilities where they are most needed.

The meeting came after global AI leaders including Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic triggered an industry debate by warning of AI risks and calling for a slower pace of investment and development. The presidents nonetheless aligned on the view that LG's approach to AI must keep people — not the technology itself — at the center, and that it should be pursued in ways that deliver genuine improvements to people's lives.

Koo chairs a presidents' meeting every quarter to refine the group's business portfolio. At the March session, where AX was the central agenda, he said the initiative "is not a task for any one organization — it is something that CEOs and business leaders must personally set the direction for and drive," calling for clear choices and strong execution from the presidents.

"The most important thing is speed," Koo said at that meeting. "Fast execution matters more than a perfect plan, so we must quickly act on even small things where the business impact is real, accumulate results and spread them."

In April, Koo traveled to Silicon Valley, where he met with executives from AI software firm Palantir and physical AI company Skilled AI to discuss strategies for accelerating AX. Skilled AI is among the portfolio companies of LG Technology Ventures, LG Group's corporate venture capital arm.

During the same trip, Koo visited the LG Technology Ventures office and asked the team to serve as "a forward base that can build one pillar of the group's future portfolio through proactive investment amid the AI paradigm shift."

At the June presidents' meeting, Koo emphasized "winning R&D," urging the group to build technological differentiation wide enough that competitors cannot easily close the gap.