As SKT Sets the Stage, University AI Talents Soar... AI Fellowship Successfully Concluded

Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology student Shin Gwanjun, who participated as a member of the 3rd SKT AI Fellowship, is presenting his research results at the SKT headquarters on the 22nd.

[Asia Economy Reporter Seol Gina Jo] SK Telecom announced that it has successfully completed the 3rd cohort of the SKT AI Fellowship, which nurtures future talents in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) through industry-focused research projects.

The AI Fellowship is a mentoring program that helps university (graduate) students grow into AI experts by providing realistic feedback from developers working in actual companies and research funding support.

A total of 32 students from 11 teams who participated as the 3rd cohort of the AI Fellowship recently shared their research outcomes at SK Telecom headquarters in Seoul. Selected through a competitive process with a 15:1 ratio in June, the students tackled AI practical tasks directly while receiving mentoring from in-house SK Telecom experts over the past five months.

The students participating in the AI Fellowship cited the following as the program’s strengths: learning the necessary processes for algorithms to become actual services, receiving research funding to purchase expensive graphics cards and other resources, and the guidance and nurturing from mentors who generously provided advice not only on AI development but also on future career paths.

SK Telecom awarded research funding as prizes based on team performance and plans to offer benefits to AI Fellowship participants who later apply for employment at SK Telecom.

Students participating in the 3rd SKT AI Fellowship and SK Telecom mentors are taking a commemorative photo.

Now in its third year, the AI curriculum systematically supported university (graduate) student developers from the stage of setting research tasks needed in SK Telecom’s business field to producing AI service-level outcomes.

According to AI curriculum mentors, the students proposed ideas with creative perspectives and achieved high-level results with passion despite balancing academics and projects. As a result, they proposed services applicable to real business environments, which contributed to service improvements in SK Telecom’s business departments.

Four teams were selected as outstanding research teams. The team from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) developed vision AI (video analysis artificial intelligence) application technology for smart factories despite hardware constraints without high-performance GPUs.

A team composed of Yonsei University students developed an AI model capable of detecting anomalous situations in smart factories. They achieved excellent results by reducing false alarms and improving prediction performance compared to existing models.

Students from Hanyang University researched media restoration technology to improve the digital broadcast quality of IPTV and developed an algorithm that removes color distortion and flickering. Based on the concerns of the business department, they chose a new approach that contributed to improving existing services.

A team consisting of students from Dongduk Women’s University, Sogang University, and Sookmyung Women’s University developed a solution that combines the advantages of 2D and 3D based on deep learning, which can be utilized in virtual LAN services and metaverse services.

Shin Sang-gyu, head of corporate culture at SK Telecom, said, “The research level of the SKT AI Fellowship is improving every year thanks to the participation of capable university and graduate students,” adding, “We plan to continue developing support programs so that SK Telecom can grow together with future AI talents.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.