AmCham's warning
The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea indicated that companies must invest in workforce training and risk management to convert artificial intelligence adoption into lasting productivity gains. The message was delivered during the HR Workshop 2026, held Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt in Seoul, where about 100 business leaders and industry experts discussed how to integrate AI into daily operations while addressing organizational and legal risks. According to AmCham President and CEO James Kim, having the tools is only the beginning: employees need skills and confidence to use them well, while executives must set clear expectations and manage risk.
Skills and human oversight
Workforce readiness was a central theme. Lee Sang-im, director of the professional skills policy division at the Ministry of Labor, presented the K-New Deal Academy, a government program that offers sector-specific training to young job seekers. Speakers from technology companies also took part: Chenie Yoon, head of public affairs for Asia-Pacific at Google, presented the results of the ATLAS study, conducted on 15 million de-identified human-AI interactions on Google's AI platforms in more than 150 countries. Eum Sungwon, head of communications for Korea at OpenAI, discussed ChatGPT's potential to reduce repetitive tasks while emphasizing data security and the need for human oversight.
The data presented by technology companies describe uses and potential, but do not in themselves demonstrate an increase in productivity: AmCham's thesis is that this transition requires precise organizational conditions, not just access to tools.
Accountability and open questions
The discussion also touched on organizational change and the responsibility of senior leaders. Sunjae Lee, head of people for Asia-Pacific at Speakeasy Labs Korea, examined the evolution of workflows and employee tasks, while attorney Matthew F. Jones of Kim & Chang outlined the legal risks for corporate executives. A panel moderated by Claudia Hong, senior vice president at AmCham, brought together representatives of Google, Speakeasy Labs Korea, Kim & Chang, and Estée Lauder Companies Korea to discuss workforce planning, employee trust, and corporate compliance.
The workshop highlighted a central challenge: translating new technology into measurable gains requires investment in skills, organizational changes, and safeguards. The actual effectiveness of the training programs cited and the concrete impact of the legal guidance remain to be verified, since the available material does not report outcome data.
