SK Group kicked off its annual Icheon forum -- one of the biggest gatherings of its top executives -- in Seoul on Monday to explore strategies for expanding the artificial intelligence ecosystem and reinforcing the value of SK Management Systems, the group’s unique philosophy introduced by former SK Chairman Chey Jong-hyun about half a century ago.

About 100 guests and speakers from both Korea and abroad, together with Chairman Chey Tae-won, Executive Vice Chairman Chey Jae-won and SK Supex Council Chairman Chey Chang-won, as well as key executives and outside directors from major affiliates, participated in this year’s three-day seminar starting Monday.

This year’s forum placed a strong emphasis on AI, reflecting the group’s strategic focus outlined during the biannual business management strategy meeting in June, where SK announced plans to secure 80 trillion won ($58 billion) by 2026 in investments, mainly in AI and semiconductors, for future growth.

Chairman Chey, who was in the US on a business trip then, said via a video link during the meeting, “Here in the US, AI is everywhere. … We should consolidate our leadership in the AI value chain from service to infrastructure by leveraging all the capabilities across affiliates.”

“AI is an unstoppable trend,” said SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang, who also leads SK Group's ICT committee, in his opening speech at Monday's seminar.

“In the AI gold rush, SK Group will consolidate the capabilities of all its member companies and enhance its leadership in the AI value chain, spanning from AI services to AI infrastructure, to quickly seize emerging opportunities,” he said.

The group previously announced enhancing its strategic focus on its AI value chain from chips to data centers to services to secure its global competitiveness amid heated AI competition with its tech rivals.

The opening day saw a lecture delivered by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology professor Jurgen Schmidhuber, known as the “Father of AI,” followed by former OpenAI GTM executive Zack Kass.

They each spoke about how to prepare for the AI era and ways to capture opportunities in the process of expanding the AI ecosystem.

On Tuesday, the discussions will center on deepening understanding and empathy for SKMS. Member companies will hold separate workshops to share the basic concepts of SKMS and practical case studies, the group said.

On Wednesday, the SK chief will review the topics discussed over the three-day event and gather insights from the participants.