SK Square (402340) is rebuilding its core investment operations — market analysis and the sourcing of investment targets — around artificial intelligence, and is extending the shift to the work processes and business models of its portfolio companies. The aim is to become an "AI native" investment firm that uses AI for investment decisions and business innovation rather than as a simple support tool.
SK Square said on the 10th that it is pursuing AI-based changes to how work is carried out, along with business model transitions at its portfolio companies, led by an AI innovation unit created this year.
AI native refers to redesigning work processes and decision-making structures around AI, rather than treating AI as a supplementary tool. SK Square has moved away from the work and security frameworks typical of large Korean conglomerates and built a sandbox environment where employees can freely experiment with a range of AI models.
In investment operations, about 80 employees have developed and are using roughly 90 AI agents that handle market analysis, the sourcing of investment targets and report writing. The company has also built an in-house knowledge data hub called Kiwi, a system in which AI accumulates and manages reports and emails written by employees so they can be used as shared organizational knowledge.
SK Square is running a "10x TF," a task force aimed at tenfold productivity gains, to drive business innovation at its main portfolio companies. Working with developers at SK Planet, 11st and TMAP Mobility, it has built AI-based work automation systems and put them into use. The company plans to accelerate work on a system that integrates and manages key data, including OK Cashbag and the 11st product catalog.
"As the next stage after AI chips and infrastructure, the competitiveness of applications, or services, is becoming more important by the day," said Kim Yong-hoon, SK Square's chief AI officer. "We will innovate customer services at our portfolio companies with AI and create a major turning point for their business models."
