[Interview] The AI-Native Talent Krafton Seeks: "We Look for the Ability to Ask Questions"

Interview with Han Soyoung, Head of HR at Krafton
"AI Adoption Is a Tool for Growth, Not Workforce Reduction"
Krafton Launches Its Largest-Ever Recruitment Drive
Seeking New "AI-Native" Talent

"Declaring ourselves an AI-first company does not mean that we intend to cut staff to improve cost efficiency. We need more talent to boost our competitiveness with AI and seize opportunities in new markets and businesses."

As conservative hiring and workforce reductions spread across the gaming industry, Krafton is drawing attention by taking the opposite approach. After declaring last year that it would transition into an "AI-first" company, it is stepping up efforts this year to transform itself into an "AI-native" organization by launching its largest-ever recruitment drive. In an interview on November 11, Han Soyoung, Head of HR at Krafton (pictured), shared a vision for talent in the AI era and for transforming the company's culture.

Han Soyoung, Head of HR at Krafton

"Assessing problem-solving processes with 'Kopa' instead of coding tests"

Krafton has broken with conventional practices in the IT and gaming industries, starting with its hiring process. Instead of traditional blind coding tests, it has introduced Kopa Probe, its own AI-powered competency assessment tool. How proficient candidates are with a particular AI tool, or how flawless their output is, is not the main focus of the assessment.

"AI tools are constantly evolving, so what's important is not how well someone uses a particular tool today, but their ability to adapt quickly to change, understand the essence of a problem, and think through how to approach it," Han said. "We give candidates a task and assess the entire process of designing prompts, connecting application programming interfaces (APIs), and working toward a solution." She added that tasks are tailored to each job function, so applicants for non-development roles do not need to be intimidated by the technical implementation.

During interviews, candidates are asked follow-up questions about the results they produced. The aim is to identify people who do not simply rely on AI-generated answers, but ask themselves "why" and test the limits of those answers.

"The ways of making games with AI are becoming more diverse, and the pace of change is accelerating. But one thing remains unchanged: people are the ones who discover the 'fun' at the heart of a game," she said. "We are looking for talent that can go beyond conventional approaches and maximize the fun through new ideas."

Combining senior employees' "experience" with juniors' "AI speed"

Krafton is also working to bridge the gap that could emerge during the rapid transition to AI between existing employees and a new generation of "AI natives." Rather than restructuring its workforce around junior employees, Krafton has chosen to equip senior employees with AI to complement their extensive experience.

"We have many talented people with years of expertise and experience," Han said. "Our goal is to create a flexible collaborative culture in which the seasoned judgment of senior employees combines with juniors' ability to use AI quickly, reducing work that used to take five steps to three."

Work practices within the company are already being reshaped rapidly. Krafton has opened online AI training to all employees and subsidiaries, and assigned dedicated AI engineers (FDEs) to each division to provide hands-on support in automating repetitive tasks. It has also removed usage limits on tokens and other resources so employees can experiment with AI without worrying about costs.

The monthly, two-day, one-night company-wide AI hackathon has overcome its initial unfamiliarity and become a signature internal event with fierce competition for spots. "Employees who were initially reluctant to participate changed their attitude after seeing their hackathon projects put to use in their day-to-day work and experiencing how much easier it made things," she said. "Using AI has become so commonplace that employees are motivated to take part on their own, even without special rewards."

Han Soyoung, Head of HR at Krafton

Less reporting and faster decisions with AI...Accelerating expansion into new businesses

Changes in the company culture are also reshaping reporting practices and hierarchy. When leaders ask AI for information, it searches the company's internal "wiki" and provides answers, reducing the need to request separate reports from employees. Instead of cumbersome PowerPoint reports, it has become common to exchange only the feedback needed.

"More than 90% of employees say they have experienced shorter work processes since AI was introduced," Han said. "We encourage them to finish tasks that used to take 10 hours in just five, and use the energy they save to explore more creative areas and grow personally." Hierarchies are also becoming more flexible: depending on the nature of a project, employees may be given full authority regardless of seniority or communicate directly with division heads.

Building on its ability to embed AI across the organization, Krafton plans to maximize the fun of its core gaming business while aggressively expanding its pipeline of new businesses outside gaming, including Kipeu, an AI character chat service based on K-pop.

"The research and development (R&D) capabilities we have accumulated through game production are the foundation of our new AI businesses," she said. "With an eye toward greater growth five and 10 years from now, we will continue to recruit talent with the drive to embrace change and strong core capabilities."

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