SKT CEO Jeong Jaeheon: "In the AI Era, Those Who Create and Use Tokens Will Dominate the Token Economy"

Jeong Jaeheon Returns to His Alma Mater After Nearly 40 Years
"AI Presents a Crisis, Not Just Opportunity, for Companies"
10th Anniversary of the SKT-Seoul National University AI Joint Program
Initial Drop in Productivity After AI Adoption.

On the 1st, at Seoul National University during the lecture titled "Choices and Opportunities in the AI Era," Jaehun Jung, CEO of SK Telecom, engaged in a Q&A session with attendees. Provided by SK Telecom.

"In the AI era, those who create and enable the use of tokens will dominate the token economy."

On the afternoon of the 1st, at the No.1 Engineering Building of Seoul National University in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Jaehun Jung, CEO of SK Telecom, stated during the lecture, "Choices and Opportunities in the AI Era," that "the economy of the future will be centered around tokens." He explained that as the use of generative AI has rapidly expanded recently, both the consumption and production of tokens have grown exponentially. With the sharp increase in token utilization for various kinds of inference and searches, the ability to secure tokens has now emerged as a core competitive strength.

CEO Jung remarked, "When electricity was invented, those who generated electricity dominated the economy," and added, "It is the same with AI," thus foreshadowing the arrival of the token economy.

Notably, CEO Jung drew attention by emphasizing that, for companies, AI is more of a crisis than an opportunity. He warned, "If a company does not adapt to AI, it will go bankrupt," and added, "Those who cannot adapt to the new era will be eliminated." He cautioned that, just as artisans who rejected machines in the past declined, and coachmen who did not use machines lost their jobs, companies that fail to actively respond to AI will inevitably face decline.

That day, over 300 undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of disciplines packed the lecture hall to listen to CEO Jung's lecture. The students gathered there enthusiastically considered what competitive edge only humans can possess in the AI era.

CEO Jung, who enrolled in the College of Law at Seoul National University in 1987, returned to his alma mater after 40 years as a lecturer. He suggested strategies for individuals and companies to seize opportunities in the AI era. He explained, "I'm not here to teach technology today, but to share what a company at the forefront of AI transformation is currently contemplating."

CEO Jung remarked that AI is changing the existing principles of industry and society. For example, while it took about 60 years for automobiles to become popularized and 10 years for mobile phones to do the same, it took ChatGPT only one month to reach 50 million users. "With the advent of AI, a person's day could become 240 hours or even 2,400 hours," he explained, adding, "The density of time created by AI is destroying the principles as we knew them."

Turning Discomfort Into Results... Introducing the 'AX J-Curve' Found by SK Telecom

On the 1st, Jeong Jaehun, CEO of SK Telecom, is delivering a lecture titled 'Choices and Opportunities in the AI Era' at Seoul National University. SK Telecom.

Amid these changes, CEO Jung introduced how companies are using AI to boost productivity. In particular, he shared the "AX J-Curve" pattern that he personally derived while leading SK Telecom's AI transformation (AX) over the past year. The concept describes how, after first introducing AI to a company, productivity dips slightly due to retraining and work redesign. However, organizations that endure this slump then see a steep rise in productivity.

He stated, "If you turn back before the valley of discomfort, you will forever remain on the left side of the curve, but organizations that persevere through it will eventually experience a J-shaped upward surge." He added, "Looking at things in a new way, facing extremes, and embracing discomfort are the ways to cross this valley."

He further stressed that individuals need the ability to make decisions and take action, assuming changes in the AI era. "Competitiveness comes from the initiative to set one's own direction, as well as insight and empathy," he said. "By honing domain expertise and maximizing productivity through AI utilization, and further connecting technology, industry, and people, one can create new opportunities."

Quoting Eui Sun Chung, Chairman of SK Group, CEO Jung outlined the four skills required of AI-era talent: 1) 'Thinking muscle' for insight into the essence, 2) 'Adaptation muscle' to adjust to change and learn from failure, 3) 'Empathy muscle' that AI will always struggle to acquire, and 4) 'Physical intelligence' that converts internalized experience into value.

Finally, he concluded, "If the question ten years ago was whether AI could surpass humans, today the question is what we will create with AI. I sincerely look forward to reuniting with all of you, who will shape the answer to this question ten years from now, as colleagues at the forefront of dynamic AI innovation."

Starting from today, SK Telecom will launch the "SKT-Seoul National University AI Joint Program," offering 15 weeks of lectures to graduate students in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Seoul National University. This marks the 10th anniversary of SK Telecom's AI lectures jointly conducted with Seoul National University. Going forward, executives, team leaders, and Ph.D.-level members of SK Telecom's AI development organization, including Kyeongsang Yoo, Head of AI CIC, and Taeyoon Kim, Head of Foundation Model, will take turns teaching, sharing their practical work expertise.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.