SK (034730.KS) is launching SK AIGEN, a two-year non-degree program designed to develop and support young talent for the age of artificial intelligence. Breaking away from rote learning and courses tied to employment or academic credentials, the program pays participants a monthly stipend of 3 million won ($2,100) so they can devote themselves to projects that use AI to solve real problems facing individuals, society and businesses.
SK said on the 12th that it will run the first cohort of the full-time, two-year program starting in March next year. The name AIGEN combines AI and "generation," referring to the younger generation at ease in an AI environment. The program is open to those aged 19 to 34.
In the first year, participants plan and carry out problem-solving projects themselves, acquiring the skills they need on their own initiative. In the second year, they tackle actual tasks in the field in line with their individual career plans. SK plans to work with Seoul National University's AI Institute to advance the program, supporting participants' humanities-based insight and detailed career planning.
SK is also setting up a research and activity environment that allows selected participants to immerse themselves in the challenge. Over the two years, the company will provide the monthly stipend of 3 million won along with tailored skills training, project mentoring and dedicated activity space. The program does not, however, guarantee employment at any particular company or confer a degree.
The program reflects SK's view of what talent means in the AI era and how it should be cultivated. Chey Tae-won, chairman of SK Group, said in a televised lecture in May that in the age of AI, training aimed at quickly absorbing knowledge and performing well on exams is being replaced by AI. "What matters is building the well-rounded capabilities that let people adapt to a range of changes and keep multiple options open," he said.
AIGEN, which embodies SK's philosophy of "serving the nation through talent," will recruit its first cohort from Nov. 1 to 15, select about 50 participants in late December and formally launch in March 2027.