SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won to open EBS lecture series on AI and new capitalism
In short
SK Group chairman Chey Tae-won will give the first lectures of season 6 of EBS's "Great Minds" ('위대한 수업, 그레이트 마인즈'), a five-part series titled "AI, New Capitalism and Youth" airing Oct 12 to 16 at 11:45 p.m. on EBS 1TV. He will set out a "new value capitalism" that measures and rewards the solving of social problems, the use of AI to cut social costs, and a proposal for Korea-Japan economic solidarity, followed by two sessions answering young people's questions.
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Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, will be the first lecturer of season 6 of EBS's "Great Minds" ('위대한 수업, 그레이트 마인즈'), with a five-part series titled "AI, New Capitalism and Youth", outlets reported on Oct 8. The lectures air from Oct 12 to 16 at 11:45 p.m. on EBS 1TV, and Asia Economy said they can also be watched again on the EBS website. Asia Economy, Hankook Ilbo and Seoul Shinmun cited EBS, while Dong-A Ilbo and Korea Economic Daily cited SK Group. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
The central idea is what Chey calls "new value capitalism", which links solving social problems to economic activity by measuring the results of solving social problems and providing matching rewards. He will explain it on the basis of experiments carried out over the past 10 years. Korea Economic Daily said Chey's analysis is that new social problems keep appearing even as the economy grows, and that rapid AI development is changing the structure of industry and jobs and making those problems more complex. Dong-A Ilbo gave the Oct 12 lecture title as "Can the economy solve social problems?" [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 5 , 7 , 8 ]
On AI, Chey will say that speed, scale and safety matter in AI competition, but that what ultimately counts is building AI services society needs, suited to Korea's data and environment. Newsis quoted him as saying the effect of AI comes from "lowering society's costs and solving hard problems". He will present uses ranging from AI agents to an "AI city". Hankook Ilbo said he will also discuss a shift to an "AI-native society" that uses AI as basic infrastructure rather than a separate tool. Newsis noted that he has previously put forward speed, scale and safety as the "3S" of AI and recently said business models and sustainability should also be considered. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 8 ]
The Oct 14 lecture covers Korea-Japan economic solidarity, which Chey proposes as an option for Korea amid US-China conflict and changes in the global economic order. The idea is for the two countries to combine their strengths, create larger markets and growth opportunities, and move toward an economic community. ZDNet Korea said shared tasks include energy, AI, healthcare, tourism and jobs. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
The final two sessions, on Oct 15 and 16, are conversations with young people. Chey will discuss the leadership needed in the AI era, the AI transition of small and medium-sized companies and narrowing gaps in AI use, which ZDNet Korea said draws on his experience as chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry. He will say that when AI replaces labour, the way people work and their choices will change more than the value of labour itself, and will answer what he would take on if he were in his 20s again. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
Season 6 has 50 lecturers. Korea Economic Daily said this is the largest number so far and includes five Nobel Prize winners, and Dong-A Ilbo said they include former US Treasury Secretary and Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen, former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder and French actress Sophie Marceau. [ 5 , 7 ]
Why it matters
The lectures give the head of SK Group, who also chairs the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a national broadcast platform for his views on AI and on closer economic ties with Japan. Newsis reported that Chey presents these ideas as a new growth direction for the Korean economy; the documents describe proposals to be aired, not policy.
Key facts
- Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, is the first lecturer of season 6 of EBS's "Great Minds". [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- The series, "AI, New Capitalism and Youth", airs from Oct 12 to 16 at 11:45 p.m. on EBS 1TV. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- It has five parts: social problems and the economy (Oct 12), an AI-native society (Oct 13), solidarity with Japan (Oct 14) and two conversations with young people (Oct 15 and 16). [ 2 , 5 ]
- Chey's "new value capitalism" would measure the results of solving social problems and provide matching rewards. [ 2 , 4 , 8 ]
- Chey says speed, scale and safety matter in AI competition, but the goal is AI services that society needs. [ 3 , 4 , 8 ]
- He proposes Korea-Japan economic solidarity, moving toward an economic community, in response to US-China conflict and a changing global economic order. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Season 6 has 50 lecturers in total. [ 5 , 7 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Chey Tae-won is the first lecturer of season 6 of EBS's "Great Minds", with lectures on AI, new capitalism and youth. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 8 ]
- The lectures air from Oct 12 to 16 at 11:45 p.m. on EBS 1TV. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]
- The series consists of five lectures. [ 2 , 4 , 5 , 7 ]
- "New value capitalism" means measuring the results of solving social problems and providing matching rewards. [ 2 , 4 , 8 ]
- Chey will propose Korea-Japan economic solidarity in response to US-China conflict and changes in the global economic order. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- In the youth sessions he will discuss AI-era leadership, the AI transition of small and medium-sized companies, and what he would take on if he were in his 20s again. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Season 6 features 50 lecturers. [ 5 , 7 ]
Still unclear
- Season 6 is the largest ever and includes five Nobel Prize winners. Reported only by Korea Economic Daily.
- Janet Yellen, Gerhard Schröder and Sophie Marceau are among the season 6 lecturers. Reported only by Dong-A Ilbo.
- Chey has recently said business models and sustainability should be considered alongside speed, scale and safety in AI. Reported only by Newsis.
- Who announced the series. Asia Economy, Hankook Ilbo and Seoul Shinmun cite EBS, Dong-A Ilbo and Korea Economic Daily cite SK Group, and Newsis cites the business community.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Oct 8: Asia Economy reports, citing EBS, that Chey will open season 6 of "Great Minds". [ 1 ]
- Oct 8: ZDNet Korea publishes a day-by-day outline of the five lectures. [ 2 ]
- Oct 8: Newsis reports Chey's call to use AI to solve social problems and his Korea-Japan proposal. [ 3 ]
- Oct 8: Dong-A Ilbo, citing SK Group, lists the episode titles and other season 6 lecturers. [ 5 ]
- Oct 8: Korea Economic Daily, citing SK Group, reports that 50 lecturers take part in the season. [ 7 ]
- Oct 12: The first lecture is scheduled to air on EBS 1TV. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 5 ]