It was a good opportunity for small and midsize business owners looking to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) to learn government plans and concrete approaches all at once. Thank you for creating a venue through the forum to use policies and materials.
At the SME AX Leaders Forum held by ChosunBiz on the 26th at the Shilla Hotel in Jangchung-dong, Seoul, Kang Seo-ho, CEO of Manse F&B, said this.
The SME AX Leaders Forum is a forum in the small and venture business field that ChosunBiz is hosting for the first time. SME is an abbreviation for Small and Medium Enterprise, meaning small and midsize corporations.
More than 200 people took part, including Minister Han Seong-suk of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Rep. Heo Seong-moo of the Democratic Party of Korea, Rep. Chung Jin-uk of the Democratic Party of Korea, affiliated agencies, small and midsize CEOs, and AI experts. They assessed the current crisis facing small and midsize corporations and discussed practical AI transformation (AX) strategies to drive innovation.
Minister Han Seong-suk of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said, "If small and midsize corporations respond proactively in a rapidly evolving AI era, it will be an opportunity for a new leap forward," and added, "We will support the introduction of tailored smart factories by considering the varying levels of digital transformation among small manufacturing corporations, establish a roadmap to foster smart manufacturing specialist corporations, and push to develop the solutions needed on the shop floor."
Professor Bu Seok-jun of Gyeongsang National University said, "AI and AX require equipment and personnel at the same time," and explained, "To lower initial investment costs for small and midsize corporations, policies should go beyond short-term subsidies and be introduced to ease the long-term expense structure."
Small and midsize business owners who attended the forum checked AI adoption cases on the ground firsthand and gauged how they could apply them to their own companies.
One small and midsize business owner noted, "It was different from typical academic-centered forums because we could hear real stories from on-site manufacturing SMEs in areas like auto parts and food," and added, "It provided practical help for our corporations' AX strategy."
Another small and midsize business owner said, "At most forums people exchange greetings and leave, but attendees stayed to the end and listened to the speakers," and added, "It was good to hear the government's AI direction as well."
Taelim Industrial's AI adoption case drew attention that day. Taelim Industrial is growing in step with paradigm shifts in the auto industry, such as electric vehicles and self-driving cars, after building a smart factory. Oh Kyung-jin, CEO of Taelim Industrial, also stressed, "It is more important than anything else to make the purpose of adopting AI clear."
AIDIMODE, a knitwear production specialist, presented a case in which it digitized its workflows to drive efficiency in areas such as manufacturing processes and workforce operations. Lim Dae-bin, CEO of AIDIMODE, said, "With a similar number of executives and staff compared to 2022, the number of styles increased by 32% and delivery volume rose by 25%."
An official from a government-affiliated agency said, "The presentations on AI adoption cases resonated the most," and added, "AI can feel vague to those who have little experience with it, but we were able to hear directly how it is being introduced on the ground and to what extent it is being utilized."