The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea stressed that businesses must invest in workforce training and risk management to turn artificial intelligence adoption into lasting productivity gains.
The message was delivered at AmCham's HR Workshop 2026, held Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Seoul, where around 100 business leaders and industry experts discussed how companies can integrate AI into daily operations while managing organizational and legal risks.
"Having the tools is only the beginning. Employees need the skills and confidence to use them well, while leaders need to set clear expectations and manage risk," AmCham Chairman and CEO James Kim said.
Workforce readiness was a key focus. Lee Sang-im, director of the Ministry of Employment and Labor's Vocational Skills Policy Division, introduced the K-New Deal Academy, a government-led program offering industry-specific training for young job seekers.
Speakers also examined how AI is changing workplace practices. Google's Asia-Pacific public affairs lead Chenie Yoon presented findings from its ATLAS study, which analyzed 15 million de-identified human-AI interactions across Google AI platforms in more than 150 countries.
OpenAI's Korea communications head Eum Sungwon discussed ChatGPT's potential to reduce repetitive tasks, while emphasizing data security and human oversight.
The discussions also addressed organizational change and executive accountability. Sunjae Lee, Asia-Pacific people operations lead at Speakeasy Labs Korea, examined shifting workflows and employee responsibilities, while Matthew F. Jones, an attorney at Kim & Chang, outlined legal risks for corporate executives.
A panel moderated by AmCham Senior Vice President Claudia Hong brought together representatives from Google, Speakeasy Labs Korea, Kim & Chang and Estée Lauder Companies Korea to discuss workforce planning, employee trust and corporate compliance.
The workshop highlighted a central challenge for companies adopting AI: Translating new technology into measurable productivity gains requires not just investment in tools, but also employee skills, organizational changes and safeguards.
yejinlim@heraldcorp.com
