Employees of SK Broadband train in its AI Agent Lab program at the company’s headquarters in Seoul. Courtesy of SK Broadband

SK Broadband, a media and network services provider, said Monday it had set “Working with AI” and “Dynamic SKB” as its core themes for 2026, launching a companywide initiative to build employee capabilities and make artificial intelligence (AI) a standard part of daily work.

The company said last year’s efforts — including the introduction of an AI proficiency certification system and voluntary study groups known as “AI Study Mates” — laid the groundwork for broader adoption. This year, it aims to translate that foundation into tangible business results, describing it as the first year of its AI transformation (AX).

From March through October, SK Broadband will run an intensive training program called AI Agent Lab for its entire workforce. The program aims to more than double the share of employees with intermediate or higher AI proficiency — designated “AI Performers” — to 20 percent from 9 percent, making for a total of about 400 employees. The company also plans for all staff to complete an entry-level AI Learner course by year’s end.

Each of the 400 AI Performers are expected to independently develop and deploy at least one AI agent within their respective work domains, with the company projecting a minimum of 400 customized in-house tools from the program. Participants can choose from a range of platforms, including A.dot Biz 2.0, a proprietary workplace agent tool; Dify; and Gemini Enterprise, an integrated AI productivity platform.

SK Broadband said it has also made role-specific AI leadership training mandatory across all levels, from new hires to executives and team leaders, and is holding regional forums to ensure no employees are left out of the initiative. The company plans to upgrade its AI certification system and share best practices across the organization in real time through an AI usage visualization dashboard and company-wide meetings.

"If 2025 was the year of getting familiar with AI, 2026 will be the year every employee becomes an AI expert and AI becomes the standard way of working," said an SK Broadband official. "We will establish a culture where employees independently develop AI agents to transform productivity and create real business value."

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

Source: Korea Times News