LS Group chairman urges employees to embrace AI change, create new value

LS Group Chairman Koo Ja-eun urged employees to use AI to dramatically boost productivity across offices and factory floors, and to embed the technology in products and services to deliver new value that customers can feel.

Koo made the remarks Friday at the 5th LS Future Day, held at LS Tower in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province. "Do not fear the pace of change in the AI era — LS must be the company that embraces that pace faster than anyone else," he said, adding that the group must use AI to create tangible new value for customers.

LS Future Day is a group-wide event for sharing new business ideas, R&D achievements and operational innovation. It launched in 2022 alongside Koo's appointment as chairman.

This year's event was held under the theme "Beyond AI Exploration — Generating Business Results." About 500 executives and employees attended, including Koo, along with CEOs, COOs, CTOs and chief digital officers from the holding company and its affiliates.

During the results-sharing program, 19 projects in new business, technology and innovation were presented — among them an "AI-based cable manufacturing meister" system and an "AI data center high-reliability power protection platform."

Presenters used AI coding to turn LS's AI product and solution ideas into minimum viable products, and produced customer experience scenario videos using AI. Employees whose projects were selected as outstanding cases were named "LS Futurists" and will have the opportunity next year to visit industrial cities in China and benchmark local companies to study the latest technology trends.

An LS Future Forum held that same afternoon featured sessions on topics including the future of manufacturing in the age of physical AI. Speakers included Yoon Song-yi, CEO of PVP; Yoon Sung-ro, a Seoul National University professor; Kim Jang-hyun, a partner at BCG; and Kwon Seok-jun, a Sungkyunkwan University professor. They shared insights on nurturing talent in the AI era, strategies for applying AI on the factory floor, and the implications of financial operations innovation and changes in the manufacturing environment.

LS Group has identified more than 500 future business ideas in batteries, next-generation power solutions and AI through Future Day over the past five years, and is working to translate them into actual businesses.

LS Electric has already launched its "integrated solar power service platform" — selected as an outstanding case last year — as a commercial product and service. Seven other projects, including LS Mtron's development of a compact tractor tailored for the North American market, are also moving through the commercialization process.