GS Group chairman calls for continued workplace innovation through AI tools

GS Group holds AI idea competition for 5th year

Chairman Heo Tae-soo attends for second consecutive year

'Not many companies solve field problems through coding,' he says

GS Caltex Vice Chairman Heo Se-hong also takes part

GS Group Chairman Heo Tae-soo speaks at the 5th GS Group Hackathon held Monday at the Westin Seoul Parnas in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. [GS]

GS Group Chairman Heo Tae-soo said it represents "significant progress" when frontline employees identify and solve problems on their own using AI — something he said sets GS apart from most companies.

Heo made the remarks Monday at the 5th GS Group Hackathon, held at the Westin Seoul Parnas in Gangnam-gu. "Not many companies around the world directly solve field problems through coding and similar tools," he said.

The hackathon is an event where GS employees pitch ideas for boosting workplace productivity and driving other innovations using AI. A total of 923 people are expected to participate through Tuesday, including 797 employees from GS affiliates and 126 outside participants — the largest turnout in the event's history. Cumulative attendance over the past five years has reached 2,732. Heo, who also attended last year's event, has shown a particular affinity for the hackathon.

"It is meaningful to see the hackathon grow," Heo said, adding that President Lee Jae Myung praised GS when the two met at Cheong Wa Dae earlier this year. "President Lee already knew about GS's AIR — AI Risk Assessment — and gave us a lot of credit for it," he said.

AIR is a safety-management AI agent that originated as an idea at the 3rd GS Group Hackathon in 2024. When a user enters a task name and brief description, the AI automatically identifies potential hazards, assigns risk ratings and suggests preventive safety measures. GS has distributed AIR free of charge to more than 330 worksites, including small and midsize businesses. President Lee praised GS for its contribution to resolving safety issues at smaller companies.

Heo said that in the past, employees who needed a digital tool had to submit a request to the IT department and wait for developers to deliver results. "Now, the people who know the field best can build anything they need through AI," he said. He added that ideas generate even greater value when applied and spread across the workplace, and expressed hope that employees would use AI as a basic tool to drive innovation in their work.

GS Group Chairman Heo Tae-soo (center) and GS Caltex Vice Chairman Heo Se-hong (third from left) encourage participating employees at the 5th GS Group Hackathon held Monday at the Westin Seoul Parnas. [GS]

GS Caltex Vice Chairman Heo Se-hong, who also attended the event, said in his opening remarks that GS must become the company best at solving real-world problems customers face using new technology. "This does not start with sweeping change," he said. "It begins with small attempts — members questioning existing ways of doing things and putting new ideas into action."

Heo went on to reference Carrier Pigeon, a slow-messaging app gaining popularity in the United States. The app delays message delivery in proportion to the physical distance between users — if the recipient is on the other side of the world, a message can take days to arrive.

"This app offers people worn out by constant notifications and instant communication the pleasure of waiting," Heo said. "In the AI era, what ultimately matters is being clear about whose problems you are solving and what those problems are."

He added that AI will advance far more rapidly going forward, and that technologies that seem novel today will soon become ordinary tools anyone can use. "Ultimately, competitiveness comes from internalizing the process of identifying problems and solving them with new technology," he said.

yeongdai@heraldcorp.com