[Column] Choi Chang-won, SK Chairman, Probing 'AI Care'

Choi Chang-won, Chairman of the SK Supex Council, who rarely appears at public events, visited the '1st Korea Social Value Festa' held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 12th. While touring the booths at the event, Chairman Choi showed interest in SK Telecom's AI care service for people with developmental disabilities.

This service, based on SKT's 'Vision AI' technology, recognizes 'abnormal behaviors' such as self-harm and automatically records the frequency and duration of occurrences, helping to ease the difficulties of caregiving. Listening intently to the staff's explanation, Chairman Choi soon asked proactive questions with a curious look, such as "How many people are using this program?" and "What are the future business plans?"

SK Group, which declared the strengthening of 'AI leadership,' is considering ways to utilize advanced technology from the perspective that marginalized groups should also benefit. Even if it is not profitable, they believe it helps create social value from an ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) standpoint. Businesses for marginalized groups tend to have low profitability, making it difficult for anyone other than large corporations to participate.

This event, originally held by SK Group since 2019 focusing on social ventures and startups in the private sector under the name 'Social Value Connect (SOVAC),' was expanded this year to include government, academia, and the business community, and was held for the first time under the auspices of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The scale of participation also increased significantly from about 50 last year to around 180 this year.

Started from the idea of SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won, this event reflects the management philosophy that companies should take the lead in solving social problems. It is not easy for the second-largest conglomerate in the business world to show interest in creating social value that does not promise immediate profits. There are many more things to consider than social contribution activities such as signing win-win growth agreements with partner companies or supporting vulnerable groups with goods. In his keynote speech at the event's 'Leaders Summit,' Chairman Chey said, "We need many entrepreneurs who will achieve social innovation through technology," adding, "This will be a starting point to solve difficult social problems."

This 'Social Value Festa' was a practical example of social value creation pursued by SK Group. The cooperation and exchange platform proposed by Chairman Chey was realized through this Festa, and Chairman Choi's deep interest in social value creation projects revealed a strong will to realize social value. Social contribution activities such as environmental protection and support for socially vulnerable groups, that is, ESG management, have long been established as important criteria for corporate evaluation. Social value is no longer secondary but an essential element of corporate competitiveness.