[2025 Women Leaders Forum] "AI Talent Is Urgently Needed... With Few Women in Engineering, How Can Companies Have Them?"

Panel Discussion on "Women Talent in the Age of Artificial Intelligence"
"Young researchers must be attracted through a system for sharing achievements"
"A culture where men and women share childcare responsibilities must also take root"

"It is crucial to secure outstanding female talent in promising fields such as AI," said Eunyoung Lee, Director of Research Performance Innovation at the Ministry of Science and ICT.

Science and technology experts gathered at the 2025 Women Leaders Forum emphasized the urgent need to secure talent in the rapidly developing field of AI. They unanimously agreed that support for work-life balance is necessary to attract more women, as their representation remains insufficient.

Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist at The Asia Business Daily, is participating in a panel discussion on the theme "Scientific and Technological Transformation: The Age of Artificial Intelligence and Women Talent" at the "2025 Women Leaders Forum" hosted by The Asia Business Daily at Lotte Hotel, Jung-gu, Seoul on November 6, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

The Asia Business Daily hosted the 2025 Women Leaders Forum at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on November 6, 2025, and held a panel discussion under the theme "The Age of Artificial Intelligence and Female Talent." Lee Yeonsu, CEO of NC AI, commented on the presence of women in the domestic AI industry, stating, "Since there is a limited pool of female talent in engineering schools to begin with, there are few women in companies as well. Women account for about 30% of the total workforce, but they are mainly in design or AI design fields. Most of the implementation and development roles related to AI are held by men."

The panelists shared concerns about the outflow of AI talent. Moon Aeri, Chairperson of the Korea Foundation for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology, said, "According to a study by Stanford University, South Korea loses 1.36 AI-related professionals per 10,000 people to overseas positions. To attract foreign talent to Korea or to prevent the outflow of our own talent, it is necessary to improve the treatment of AI professionals and to innovate the research culture."

Eunyoung Lee, Director of Research Performance Innovation at the Ministry of Science and ICT, is participating in a panel discussion on the theme "Great Transformation in Science and Technology: The Era of Artificial Intelligence and Women Talent" at the "2025 Women Leaders Forum" hosted by The Asia Business Daily at Lotte Hotel, Jung-gu, Seoul on November 6, 2025. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

The panelists also shared their views on how to nurture female talent in AI. When Paek Jongmin, Tech Specialist at The Asia Business Daily, asked, "How can we foster female talent?" Director Lee responded, "This is not an issue unique to a specific field. We need policies to attract outstanding talent to promising fields in the future, and securing and nurturing female talent is also important. I expect that if we set the right policy direction based on our experience so far, we can achieve good results."

Director Lee also emphasized the importance of sharing achievements to attract talent, including women, to the AI field. He said, "It is important to provide fair rewards for the efforts of outstanding talent through the sharing of achievements. While research stability, long-term sustainability, and various incentive systems are important for attracting top talent, the most fundamental system is one that shares achievements to attract young researchers." Director Lee also hinted that he would announce future policy directions regarding the influx of science and technology talent.

Moon Aeri, Chairperson of the Korea Foundation for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology, is participating in a panel discussion on the theme "Great Transformation in Science and Technology: The Era of Artificial Intelligence and Women Talent" at the '2025 Women Leaders Forum' hosted by The Asia Business Daily at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul on November 6, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Work-life balance was also highlighted as a key issue for securing female talent. Chairperson Moon stated, "For women to overcome the obstacles of pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare without leaving their careers, support from those around them is essential. A culture where men and women share childcare responsibilities must be established. In addition, AI-powered care services and flexible work arrangements in the digital era will help balance work and life."

CEO Lee shared a personal experience of once asking her father to take care of her child so that she could continue her business. She said, "It may sound unbelievable, but we have reached a point where we need to seriously consider how to navigate our careers. For women's issues to be properly addressed, women need to secure their place in society. For that to happen, we need a society that embraces women."

Lee Yeonsu, CEO of NC AI, is participating in a panel discussion on the theme "Scientific and Technological Transformation: The Era of Artificial Intelligence and Female Talent" at the "2025 Women Leaders Forum" hosted by The Asia Business Daily, held on November 6, 2025, at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

As the discussion concluded, each panelist offered a keyword for women's success in the AI field. Director Lee encouraged confidence in success, saying, "Don't overthink it; take bold action." Chairperson Moon emphasized "partnership leadership," stressing that men and women must lead the AI era together. CEO Lee called for "bold challenges without boundaries."