Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Eui-sun has directly called for an acceleration of the artificial intelligence (AI) transformation (AX), leading to the selection and operation of new on-the-ground responsible personnel in each organization. This marks a concrete realization of "top-down AX transformation," which is spreading from direct training of top executives into business unit-specific innovation tasks.
According to relevant industry sources on the 27th, Hyundai Motor Group has designated multiple employees per business unit as "AX Champions" responsible for AX operations and is conducting necessary training. AX Champions are tasked with supporting employees within their units in utilizing internal AI tools and identifying and advancing AX-related tasks by work area.
This approach differs from creating a new dedicated AI organization. Instead, employees familiar with on-the-ground operations continue performing their existing duties while assisting colleagues in AI utilization, serving as an internal support bridge between the business unit and the AX organization. In some units, it is reported that two employees are simultaneously handling both their regular work and AX Champion responsibilities.
Hyundai Motor is also expanding AI utilization into talent development and evaluation processes. In some units, conversion tasks for internship programs transitioning to full-time roles have been structured as AX projects. The intention is to assess candidates' ability to solve on-the-ground problems using AI from the initial stage of new hire selection.
While Hyundai Motor Group has previously focused on individual employees and departments creating AI use cases, there is a growing shift toward prioritizing the resolution of core company- and unit-defined tasks through AI based on the "top-down AX" framework.
Jeong (Chairman) personally requested Vibe Coding training for himself and key executives earlier this year and participated in the actual sessions. This decision was made with the understanding that top management must grasp both the possibilities and limitations of AI technology to make sound decisions and transform how the entire organization works.
On the 12th, Hyundai Motor Group held an AX performance presentation led directly by Jin Eun-sook, Executive Vice President in charge of ICT for Hyundai Motor and Kia, unveiling AI application results across research and development, manufacturing, maintenance, and customer response. As of last month, the number of users of H Chat Pro, an internal generative AI platform developed by Hyundai Mobis, exceeded 30,000, accounting for approximately 80% of all general and research staff at Hyundai Motor and Kia.
On-the-ground results are already emerging. The "Collision Safety AI Assistant" at the Namyang Technical Research Institute reduced the time spent searching for and analyzing past collision test cases by about 90%. An automatic license plate recognition service applied across approximately 70 global production sites saved an annual cost of 5.24 billion won, while a maintenance support AI service shortened response times by about 42%. Customer review processing time also dropped from an average of 35 minutes per case to just 5 minutes.
Jin (President) explained at the performance presentation that plans are underway to use AI to address challenges such as reducing vehicle development cycles compared to Chinese automakers and mitigating associated risks. AX Champions are expected to serve as execution links connecting top management's goals with on-the-ground tasks in each business unit. A group official stated, "AX is likely to expand from a 'bottom-up approach' that optimizes individual tasks to a 'top-down approach' that solves company-wide core challenges such as shortening vehicle development cycles."
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