![[Seoul=NEWSIS] Reporter Kim Geum-bo = Chey Tae-won, Chairman of the Korea Federation of Gong Hoe-ui-so (Chairman), attended a meeting of heads of six major economic organizations and a public-private consultation body on supporting corporate innovation held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 7th. The meeting was also attended by Choe Jin-sik, Chairman of the Korean Choi (Chairman) Association, Lee Hyung-il, who concurrently serves as Minister of Economy and Finance at Gyeong Je-bu (Prime Minister), Ryu Jin, President of The Korea Economic Daily’s In Hyeop (Chairman), Kim Ki-moon, Chairman of the SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) Central Association, Yoon Jin-sik, Chairman of the Korea Trade Association, and others. October 7, 2026. kgb@newis.com /Photo=Kim Geum-bo](https://thumb.mt.co.kr/cdn-cgi/image/f=avif/21/2026/10/2026101523344512551_1.jpg)
Chey Tae-won, Chairman of SK Group, stated, “Leaders in the AI (artificial intelligence) era must do what AI cannot,” adding, “Furthermore, by leveraging AI to actually define and solve problems—whether they are societal issues, challenges facing humanity, or issues confronting our organizations—we must work through them.”
Choi (Chairman) spoke on this topic as a lecturer on EBS’s “Great Lecture” on the 15th. Choi (Chairman) is delivering lectures on EBS from the 12th to the upcoming 16th under the theme of “AI, New Capitalism, and Youth.” The fourth lecture, which aired that day, was titled “Dialogue with Youth.”
Choi (Chairman) identified four competencies that the younger generation should cultivate in the AI era: △the power of thinking, △empathy, △the muscle of adaptation, and △body skills. Choi (Chairman) emphasized, “AI can enhance my intelligence, but that intelligence does not equate to wisdom,” noting, “It is not the case that AI solving a problem means everything is resolved, because it requires moving people.”
First, he highlighted the importance of critical thinking and empathy. Choi (Chairman) said, “We must cultivate the muscle of thinking,” adding, “Learning what others teach us is no longer useful. There is a need for me to define problems and solve them in my own way.” Regarding empathy, he remarked, “It is about figuring out what other people’s problems are, whether my thoughts can truly serve as solutions for them, and whether I can persuade them of that.”
He also urged the ability to challenge again after failure. Choi (Chairman) stated, “Those who think they can build all safety measures to avoid failure are likely to fall behind when measured against the speed at which AI is evolving,” emphasizing, “We need resilience to adapt after failing, as well as the ability to get up easily and challenge again.”
Choi (Chairman) said, “What AI cannot do includes things done with the body and physicality, such as music, art, and sports,” adding, “I do not think all of that will be replaced by AI.” He continued, “Just as Go (the board game) has not disappeared even though AI conquered it, people want to compete with other humans,” noting, “We derive value from what humans create.”
Choi (Chairman) revealed that he is directly creating AI agents and utilizing them in his work. He explained, “I do not just create one AI agent; I create various agents and use them for work. It organizes everything, including schedules and incoming reports,” adding, “I am telling all employees to each create an AI agent.”
Furthermore, he viewed the expansion of research and development (R&D) as necessary to maintain the technological competitiveness of SK Hynix. Choi (Chairman) explained, “While it is important to do what we are good at well, we have now reached a strange situation where we must also become good at things we did not know,” adding, “We must continuously seek new methods beyond those we have used in the past and conduct a wide variety of R&D.”
in INDUSTRY
