Major South Korean conglomerates have designated AI transformation (AX) as a core survival strategy, launching sweeping organizational overhauls across Samsung, SK, and LG. Rather than treating AI merely as a productivity tool, these companies are restructuring business models, corporate culture, and daily operations around generative AI.
Samsung embeds AI across the value chain
Samsung Group formally declared its AI transformation on June 9, mandating the technology's integration across all affiliates from R&D to marketing. Starting June 12, the company rolled out global generative AI solutions, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini Enterprise, and Claude, beginning with its Device eXperience (DX) Division. Employees are encouraged to test external tools to identify the most efficient workflows. Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong emphasized the scale of this shift in his New Year message, stating, "We must completely change the way we work and our organizational DNA, and AI must be applied to every part of the value chain, from R&D to production, marketing, and support." To execute this, the company is launching an AX Boot Camp for presidents and hands-on training for thousands of executives, prioritizing AI for Executives & Strategy to ensure top managers drive work innovation directly.
SK Group mandates marathon strategy sessions
SK Group is driving its AX execution through intensive, multi-day strategy sessions. At the recent 2026 New Icheon Forum, Chairman Chey Tae-won told attendees, "Now is the time to enter AI transformation from every angle and at full speed. It is important to define our work precisely and determine what we will innovate through AI and how." More than 50 executives, including Vice Chairman Chey Jae-won and major affiliate CEOs, spent three days reviewing detailed AX roadmaps for each business unit. This marked the first time the annual forum dedicated three consecutive days exclusively to AI, involving staff from top leadership to working levels.
LG Group prioritizes speed over perfection
LG Group is accelerating field-centered AI transformation with a focus on fast deployment. At the group's first presidents' meeting of the year, Chairman Koo Kwang-mo stated that AX requires personal leadership from the top. "AX is not a task for a specific organization alone. It is an issue that CEOs and business leaders must personally set the direction for and lead," Koo said. "The most important thing is speed. Rather than a perfect plan, we need fast execution. We should quickly carry out even small actions where they can have business impact, build results, and spread them." This directive mirrors the hands-on leadership approach central to an AI Learning Path for CEOs.
Why this matters for executives and strategy
Industry sources predict this top-down push will accelerate AI-centered restructuring across the conglomerates. When ownership groups mandate advanced AI literacy and tie it directly to corporate survival, AI strategy ceases to be an IT department initiative. Executives must now treat AI integration as a fundamental business restructuring effort, defining clear roadmaps and demanding fast, measurable execution from their leadership teams.
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