(LEAD) Samsung execs meet Open AI's Sam Altman to discuss AI transformation

On October 31, top executives from key Samsung affiliates convened with OpenAI's co-founder and CEO, Sam Altman, to discuss future strategies for the rapid transformation driven by artificial intelligence (AI), according to Samsung. The exclusive session took place at a Samsung human resources center in Yongin, located south of Seoul, as part of a series of leadership seminars aimed at propelling the company's AI transition efforts.

The primary focus of the meeting was to exchange perspectives on the trajectory of AI technology and its diverse applications, as well as the burgeoning business opportunities within related sectors. In particular, the discussions centered around how AI would fundamentally alter a company's decision-making processes and operations, and the essential competencies required of business leaders in an increasingly dynamic corporate landscape, as reported by Samsung.

Altman emphasized that merely adopting AI technology does not guarantee a competitive advantage; rather, it is crucial to exploit AI to expedite operations, enhance product offerings, and outpace competitors. Around 50 Samsung executives from its tech, finance, and bio units, including Samsung Electronics Co., the company's flagship unit, participated in the seminar.

Industry sources also revealed that SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won met with Altman in Seoul on the same day, alongside executives from SK hynix Inc. and SK Telecom Co. Experts speculated that Chey and Altman may have explored potential collaborations in supply chains for high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and AI data centers.