SK Telecom said on the 16th it will implement "AX innovation 2.0" to build an environment where members can focus more on AX (AI transformation).
Jung Jai-hun, president of SK Telecom, presented the direction of AX innovation for a higher leap beyond "AX innovation 1.0," which has focused on improving on-site work efficiency, at the "2026 New Icheon Forum" held last week at the SKMS Research Institute in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province. AX innovation 2.0 focuses on fundamentally redesigning how members work so that AX can lead to a dramatic improvement in organizational productivity and even innovation in the company's business model.
SK Telecom defined AI not as a work support tool but as a new working entity that works together with members.
AI agents will receive employee numbers and be managed through procedures similar to humans from onboarding to offboarding, including assignment of affiliation, duties, and authorities. In particular, SK Telecom will also establish a governance system that allows people and AI agents to work together, including setting rules for data and security access permissions for AI agents. Through this, AI agents will have clear roles within work systems and collaborate with members to reduce repetitive tasks, creating an environment where members can focus on more creative and strategic work.
The company will also introduce the "AX sandbox" system. It is an in-house experiment that redesigns habitual work methods from scratch on an AI basis, characterized by horizontal operation without rank or department distinctions. Over the past three months, some organizations within the AI CIC (in-house independent company) piloted the "AX sandbox." In this process, the company said it confirmed the potential of a "multi-role" work method in which one person performs multiple roles such as planning, development, and design together with several agents; productivity gains where planning work that previously required a long time is drastically reduced; and improved speed of communication and decision-making.
The "AX sandbox" will gradually expand companywide. SK Telecom plans to support members so they can freely try and verify new AI-driven work methods in actual work settings. The goal is to spread a work culture that plans, executes, and improves faster together with AI, beyond the existing division-of-labor-centered structure.
The AI utilization environment will also be greatly improved. SK Telecom said it will upgrade its security system so members can use AI tools and agents safely, easily, and flexibly. At the same time, it will integrate existing in-house AI development platforms such as A. Biz, Polaris, and Playground, and link them with key internal systems to enhance AI usability across work.
An execution framework for the evolution of work culture will also be put in place. SK Telecom plans to select "AX catalysts" to promote AI transformation across all work areas. Selected members will share each organization's AX success know-how and solve difficulties members face in the field.
In addition, the company will build an education system that allows members to learn AX anytime, anywhere, in the way they want. In particular, it will expand the curriculum centered on real-world cases so it can be applied immediately on site. The existing AI transformation idea-sharing system will be upgraded into the "AX library" to accumulate and spread members' challenges and success experiences as a companywide asset.
Jung Jai-hun, president of SK Telecom, said, "Through the normalization of AX, members' time and capabilities will be transformed into growth drivers that lead new challenges," adding, "We will spare no support so members can freely build AI capabilities and generate results."