LG Group Chair Koo Kwang-mo has urged the conglomerateโs top executives to move faster and execute investment plans with greater persistence as artificial intelligence emerges as the defining battleground for future competitiveness.
โAI is no longer an area we can approach selectively. It is a central pillar that will determine our future competitiveness,โ Koo said. โOur CEOs must act with speed and relentless execution so that we can win in the key AI markets of the future.โ
Koo made the remarks during a meeting Wednesday with about 40 senior executives from major affiliates, including LG Electronics, LG Display, LG Innotek, LG Chem, LG Energy Solution and LG Uplus, according to LG on Thursday.
Held at the LG Academy in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, the eight-hour meeting focused on refining the groupโs investment strategy amid rapid changes in industrial and technological paradigms driven by AI. It was Kooโs third meeting with affiliate chiefs this year, following sessions in March and June.
Executives reviewed LGโs investment performance and plans in strategic areas including AI factories, physical AI, semiconductor materials and substrates and companywide AI transformation.
They agreed that investment decisions should be guided by clearly defined objectives and portfolio strategies. LG said the group would also strengthen scenario planning and verification processes to better respond to changes in markets, competition and technology.
With uncertainty rising across industries, the executives emphasized the need to identify investment opportunities early and concentrate resources and capabilities in areas with the greatest strategic importance.
They also reaffirmed LGโs human-centered approach to AI. Amid a broader industry debate over the risks of rapid AI development, the executives agreed that LGโs AI strategy should focus not on the technology itself, but on producing tangible improvements in peopleโs lives.
Koo has been chairing quarterly meetings with affiliate CEOs as part of efforts to upgrade LGโs business portfolio.
At the groupโs March meeting, which centered on AI transformation, Koo said the effort should be led directly by CEOs and business heads rather than treated as the responsibility of designated technology teams.
โThe most important thing is speed,โ he said at the time. โRapid execution matters more than a perfect plan. We need to start small but move quickly in areas with meaningful business impact, accumulate results and expand them.โ
In April, Koo visited Silicon Valley, where he met executives from data analytics company Palantir Technologies and physical AI startup Skild AI to discuss ways to accelerate LGโs AI transformation. LG Technology Ventures, the groupโs corporate venture capital arm, has invested in Skild AI.
During a visit to the venture capital unit, Koo called on it to serve as an advance base for building LGโs future portfolio through early investments aligned with the AI paradigm shift.
At the June meeting, Koo emphasized โwinning research and development,โ urging affiliates to create technological advantages that competitors would struggle to replicate.
