Hankook & Company unveils in-house AI tool 'Chat HK 2.1,' steps up employee training

Hankook & Company has expanded the capabilities of its in-house workplace AI service and is stepping up efforts to strengthen employees' ability to use AI on the job. The group plans to boost work efficiency by supporting AI use across document drafting, data analysis and even basic software development.

Hankook & Company held an internal knowledge-sharing session for employees at its Technoplex headquarters in Pangyo, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on Friday, the company announced Monday.

The event was designed to help staff choose and use AI services suited to their work. A member of the group's AX planning team introduced Chat HK 2.1, the company's proprietary AI tool, alongside Google Cloud's enterprise AI platform Gemini Enterprise, walking attendees through the key features and differences between the two services.

Participants explored functions applicable to real-world tasks — including research, document analysis, dashboard creation and AI agent development. The session also covered which AI tools are best suited to different types of work and collaboration styles.

Chat HK 2.1, highlighted at the event, is an upgraded version of Chat HK, a conversational AI service exclusively for Hankook & Company employees that the group first developed in 2024. The new version was released to staff this month.

While the original Chat HK offered features such as information summarization, document drafting, data processing and code execution, the new version extends its scope to include basic AI-assisted program development and the ability to share outputs with colleagues.

Users can select a generative AI model based on their work needs and feed the system a range of materials — files, images and web pages — for AI analysis. The update also introduces a "vibe coding" feature that lets users build programs by giving instructions in plain language, without requiring complex coding knowledge.

A new feature also allows employees to build and share their own AI tools. Through "Chat Nest," users can preset frequently used commands or create an AI tool that answers questions based on specific documents, then share those tools with colleagues.

In addition, Hankook & Company has adopted Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise to expand the use of AI agents in the workplace. AI agents are AI systems designed to find information or carry out multiple tasks based on user instructions.

The group's approach is to run its proprietary AI service alongside external enterprise platforms, maximizing the utility of each depending on the task at hand.

Employee training is also underway. Operating under the vision of "AI In Motion," Hankook & Company runs an education program aimed at raising AI proficiency. The group has developed "AI literacy" training content to help staff understand and apply AI in their work, and has set up hands-on courses where employees can build their own workplace AI tools.

"We will continue to link internal knowledge sharing with AI education so that employees can apply new technologies to their work," a Hankook & Company official said.