Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, who is visiting Korea, met in succession on the 28th with group chiefs including Chung Eui-sun, chair of Hyundai Motor Group, and Koo Kwang-mo, chair of LG Group.
According to the business community, CEO Hassabis was said to have met with Chair Chung in a meeting at an undisclosed location in Seoul on the morning of the day. Hassabis was also reported to have met privately with Chair Koo at the LG Twin Towers in Yeouido, Seoul, on the day.
Known as the "father of AlphaGo," CEO Hassabis is the founder and CEO of DeepMind, which developed the Go AI "AlphaGo" that competed against 9-dan Lee Sedol in 2016. After DeepMind was acquired by Google in 2014, Hassabis led the AlphaGo project.
As Hassabis is a figure who symbolizes artificial intelligence (AI), Chair Chung likely discussed cooperation in AI. In this year's New Year's address, Chung emphasized, "We will make AI not a tool but the driving force of evolution," and Hyundai Motor Group is pushing to transform itself beyond a finished car manufacturer into an "AI Robotics corporation," targeting the "physical AI" field. It is also possible that discussions were held regarding the development of Autonomous Driving AI.
Chair Koo is expected to have discussed ways to generate synergy with Google centered on the LG AI Research Institute. The LG AI Research Institute, LG Group's dedicated AI organization, is updating its proprietary AI model "EXAONE." LG Electronics has designated 2026 as the first year to fully scale its robotics business, and LG Energy Solution has begun using AI to improve efficiency in battery manufacturing processes.
Meanwhile, at a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signing ceremony with the Ministry of Science and ICT the previous day, CEO Hassabis said, "We are partnering with outstanding corporations in Korea," adding, "During this visit, we have meetings scheduled from Samsung Electronics to SK hynix, Hyundai Motor, Boston Dynamics, and LG Electronics, and these partnerships will broaden and deepen."