Chey Taewon: "To Compete With Chinese AI, We Must Share Data With Japan"

Jung Sinah, CEO of Kakao, and Chey Taewon, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, are having a dialogue at the 'Management Talk Show,' a side event of the KCCI Summer Forum held in Gyeongju on the 18th. Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Chey Taewon, Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, emphasized the need for cooperation with Japan to share manufacturing data in order to strengthen competitiveness in the artificial intelligence (AI) industry. He specifically warned about the rapid pace of AI learning in China, and proposed a joint Korea-Japan cooperation model for developing manufacturing AI.

On July 18 in Gyeongju, at the 'Management Talk Show,' a side event of the KCCI Summer Forum, Chairman Chey stated, "To build strong AI, you need to feed it well, and in the case of manufacturing AI, that 'food' is data." He added, "Although Korea has an abundance of manufacturing data, China possesses far more data and could therefore outpace us in terms of learning speed."

He continued, "To compete with Chinese AI based on manufacturing data, it is important to join hands with other countries that have manufacturing bases, such as Japan. If we exchange data and learn together with Japan, we can create much better AI." He further emphasized, "Without securing data and collaboration, we could lose our leadership in AI competition based on manufacturing. What we need is not exclusive competition, but a strategic alliance."

Chairman Chey also pointed out, "China is already accelerating its AI learning speed in manufacturing by leveraging massive amounts of data. Korea may not be able to respond effectively on its own." He stressed, "Japan has different manufacturing site data from Korea, so we can complement each other."

During the talk show, the importance of Korea's unstructured, field-based manufacturing data and the development of AI models utilizing this data was repeatedly highlighted. It was especially noted that for domestic companies to survive in the global AI competition, the key is not just acquiring technology, but also how to build a data cooperation ecosystem.

Jung Sinah, CEO of Kakao and moderator of the talk show, said, "No matter how excellent a global model is, there are cases where Korea's territory, culture, or media environment are not accurately reflected." She added, "Concerns are growing about whether AI models can actually connect with on-site data, and whether my data might be leaked externally." She emphasized, "Data is not just a simple resource, but the core of industrial competitiveness."

The event also featured discussions with startup CEOs. Lee Sangho, CEO of the laundry-based startup Setakgo, said, "Recently, we have been exploring entry into the Japanese market. Given the high cultural demand for laundry services and the lack of understanding about the local consumers' preferences and information, I believe our accumulated data and operational know-how could be highly effective."

At the talk show, held under the theme 'AI for Everyone, Our AI,' the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry shared AI application cases from industrial sites through panel discussions and startup presentations. Strategies were discussed to expand AI technology beyond simple software, transforming it into industrial competitiveness across manufacturing, distribution, and services.