"AI Skills Are a Competitive Advantage"... Lotte to Hold Internship-Linked Competition

Competition to Solve Challenges from Seven Affiliates
OpenAI to Provide Technical Support and Join Judging Panel
Seven Final Winners to Share 20 Million Won in Prize Money
Opportunity for Conversion-to-Full-Time Internships

Lotte is holding its first group-wide AI competition to secure AI talent. The competition will assess participants' practical skills by having them use AI agents to solve real-world business challenges from Lotte affiliates, and outstanding participants will also be offered employment opportunities.

Lotte announced on the 27th that it will begin accepting applications on October 28 for the qualifying round of the "Lotte AX Challenge 2026." The competition is linked to recruitment and is designed to identify candidates with practical AI skills. Seven companies will participate: LOTTE WELLFOOD, Lotte Chilsung Beverage, Lotte Chemical, Lotte Home Shopping, Lotte Hotels & Resorts, Lotte Innovate, and FUJIFILM Korea. OpenAI will provide an environment for developing AI agents and take part in judging.

Anyone with the skills to plan and develop AI agents may participate, regardless of educational background or age. Applications for the qualifying round will be accepted from October 28 through November 4. Participants must choose one of seven challenges set by the affiliates and submit a proposal outlining their solution, along with a portfolio.

The final round will take place over two days and one night, November 24-25, at the Osan Campus of the Lotte Human Resources Development Institute. Based on the proposals they submitted for the qualifying round, participants will develop working AI agents. Their submissions will be evaluated comprehensively on the suitability of their solutions, the completeness of the agents they develop, and their ability to use AI technology.

The seven final winners will receive a total of 20 million won in prize money. They will also be eligible for benefits including a conversion-to-full-time internship when applying through Lotte Group's "I'M (I'm Mania) Track," a recruitment program focused on practical skills. Details on how to enter and the challenges are available on the official website.

A Lotte representative said, "As AI technology has become a key competitive advantage, securing relevant talent ahead of time has become important. We will identify outstanding talent and develop them into key personnel who will lead the group's AI transformation (AX)."

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