[Power K-Women] Bae Sunmin "Advancing a Sci-Fi Like Future World with AI"

Bae Sun-min, Head of AI2XL Lab at KT Convergence Technology Institute
AI Expert Who Worked at Samsung and Naver Before Joining KT in 2021
"Not Failing Means Setting Goals Too Low"
Taking the Road No One Has Taken... Developing AI Technology

She was a girl who loved reading books and writing. An introverted child accustomed to being alone. During her school years, she was an honor student known by the entire school. When attending elementary school reunions, she often heard, "We thought you would go to Seoul National University’s College of Law." However, she majored in Computer Science at KAIST and earned a Ph.D. in Computer Science in the United States. After working at prestigious companies such as Samsung and Naver, she joined KT as an executive in 2021. This is the story of Bae Soon-min, Director (Executive Vice President) of the AI2XL Research Institute leading the Artificial Intelligence (AI) business at KT Convergence Technology Institute. She is currently regarded as a 'hot' figure in the AI industry. With her outstanding credentials and active external activities, she has become a role model for women in science and engineering. We met Director Bae, who transformed from a quiet girl into KT’s youngest executive.

MBTI is ENFP... 'Pro Hobbyist'

Director Bae’s personality changed 180 degrees as she grew up. Her MBTI is ENFP, a type that enjoys being the center of attention. She is an all-rounder who excels at both studying and playing. Despite being a mother of two, she enjoys various hobbies such as golf, hiking, dance, and cello. "After raising children, my personality gradually changed. When I asked my mother, she said she experienced the same. I think it might be hereditary (laughs)."

She was also born with abundant energy. She said, "I have hardly ever felt tired working overnight," and "I have enough stamina to function in daily life even if I sleep only four hours a day." Her curious nature also played a role. "When I was young, I wanted to explore Africa or the Amazon. I was so curious about the unknown world that my dream was to become an astronaut." Although doctors are currently the most respected professionals, she chose engineering because she cannot sit in one place for a long time. She enjoys meeting new people and visiting new places, radiating positive energy.

Bae Soon-min, Senior Vice President and Head of the AI2XL Research Institute leading the artificial intelligence business at KT, is being interviewed by Asia Economy at the KT Convergence Technology Institute in Yangjae-dong, Seoul. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

KT Corporate Culture? Somewhere Between Samsung and Naver

When asked about 'corporate culture' after experiencing various companies, Director Bae replied, "Corporate culture is better described as different rather than right or wrong." "Samsung has all tasks and implementation plans set from January to December. It is the fate of a hardware manufacturing company. There is an atmosphere where not even a slight error is tolerated, like in semiconductor manufacturing processes."

In contrast, she said Naver has a corporate culture close to 'No Plan.' To lead the rapidly changing software industry, where predictions a year ahead are impossible, having no plan is essentially the plan. She said, "For software companies, the act of making plans itself may seem meaningless."

She said KT is somewhere in the middle between Samsung and Naver. It moves flexibly within a solidly structured system. She explained, "KT often works in partnership with other companies. When starting a project with a new client, plans must be flexible and adaptable." Director Bae also said KT is a company well-suited for AI technology development. "There is a strong will to nurture AI services, and they understand the importance of hiring related personnel. A culture that values communication and collaboration is deeply rooted."

In particular, KT places more value on results produced through collaboration than those created individually. Therefore, many employees work with a strong sense of professionalism and mission, and these qualities are emphasized when hiring talent. Regarding KT’s ideal talent, she said, "It is not a culture driven by greed to be number one or competition. They prefer people who enjoy working within an organization, are loyal, and find meaning in their work." When she moved from Samsung to Naver, it took three months to adapt, but when she joined KT, she adapted within two to three weeks.

Bae Soon-min, Director of AI2XL Research Institute (Executive Director) / Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Since joining KT, Director Bae has emphasized the importance of new challenges and failure. Her belief remains unchanged. She said, "In research and development (R&D), failure is perhaps the norm. If you haven’t failed, it means you set your goals too conservatively or made plans that are too easy to succeed." She added, "Goals should be set so that the probability of success is about 10 to 30%." She compared AI technology development to traveling to uncharted places and walking paths no one has taken before. "No one knows whether the end of this path will be success or failure. Only those who haven’t gone all the way say it’s already a success."

Director Bae is striving to apply AI technology to various businesses. In the past, AI services did not meet public expectations, but the emergence of generative AI has changed the story. Especially, AI call centers have become essential for companies serving customers regardless of industry. KT has decided to incorporate AI technology into its IPTV service, Genie TV. They plan to entrust AI with tasks such as providing one-line summaries of movie plots. The technology is currently under development and is expected to be introduced next year.

Trust is Customized AI... Enhancing Reliability

Recently, Director Bae has been actively participating in external events to promote KT’s AI service, 'Mideum' (Trust). She said, "We plan to provide customized AI services according to customer needs," and "We are focusing on improving reliability and accuracy." She added, "We are developing AI that anyone can easily use and that integrates conveniently with existing services." KT is also actively fostering the AI ecosystem by investing in and collaborating with startups such as Upstage and Qanda.

Power K Woman - Bae Sun-min, Head of KT Convergence Technology Institute (Executive Director), is being interviewed by Asia Economy. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Director Bae said, "AI also needs a warm perspective." While some express fear and pessimism, claiming AI will take human jobs and surpass human abilities, her vision of AI is different. She said, "Just as the industrial revolution transformed coachmen into today’s taxi drivers, technological advancement means a change in jobs, not a reduction."

Since last year, she has been serving as a member of the Digital Platform Government Committee under the President. She said, "The government is trying to make all data and documents AI-friendly," and "Through AI, we will have access to more information and be able to transform the physical world into a digital one." "When I was young, I entered a science fiction drawing contest and drew round cars, houses floating in the sky, and a world where time travel and teleportation were possible. With AI, can’t we get a little closer to the future we dreamed of? Just imagining it is exciting."

*Director Bae Soon-min

Born in 1980, she graduated from Gyeonggi Science High School and KAIST’s Department of Computer Science, and earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has served as a senior researcher in Samsung Techwin’s Robotics Division, AI Development Team Leader at Hanwha Techwin’s Robotics Division, and leader of Naver Clova AI Development Team. She joined KT in January 2021 and is promoting AI service development at KT Convergence Technology Institute. She is currently serving as an AI-Data Subcommittee member of the Presidential Digital Platform Government Committee. Director Bae, who ventured into uncharted AI development, says, "We must not fear failure."