Smilegate, Truly Committed to AI Talent Development, Transforms Educational Paradigm with Sogang University

Han Woo-jin, Head of Smilegate AI Center (left), and Nang Jong-ho, Professor of Computer Science at Sogang University.

The shortage of artificial intelligence (AI) talent is a hot topic. Especially with the emergence of ChatGPT, the profile of AI talent has changed, intensifying the hiring difficulties. Companies have started to seek convergent talents who have a broad understanding across multiple fields rather than specialists in a single area. However, there is a significant gap between educational institutions that train talent and companies that hire them. Smilegate has stepped up to bridge this gap.

Smilegate and Sogang University opened an AI Center on campus in March last year. Sogang University, which established a graduate program in Artificial Intelligence, conducts joint courses with Smilegate, trains AI specialists, and carries out industry-academia cooperation projects centered around the AI Center. Smilegate provides 1 billion KRW annually to Sogang University.

Leading the Training of Convergent Talents

Han Woojin, head of Smilegate AI Center, and Professor Nang Jongho of Sogang University’s Department of Computer Science expressed high expectations for the AI Center even before the first graduates emerged. Both Han and Professor Nang serve as co-directors of the Sogang AI Center.

Professor Nang explained, “Starting with the selection of 11 students in the first semester last year, there are currently 26 students participating, and they have already published numerous papers in top-tier international conferences. Thanks to Smilegate’s support, students are researching real data on problems they previously only studied through papers, which greatly increases their interest.”

Looking at the students who have published papers at international conferences, their majors are diverse, including journalism and broadcasting, linguistics, and economics. Professor Nang said, “The AI Center selected students from various fields, and they came up with creative ideas with much freer thinking.”

Director Han said, “The reason for launching the AI Center was the large gap between the talents companies want and the education schools provide, making it difficult to hire AI talent. Recently, the industry prefers horizontal experts who understand a wide range of fields rather than vertical specialists, and the current AI Center curriculum aligns with this.”

Training ‘Immediately Effective’ Talent Desired by Companies

Professor Nang cited the biggest achievement of the AI Center as narrowing the gap between the talent profiles desired by schools and companies. Smilegate’s practitioners directly participate in education, and students also gain internship opportunities. Through experience using AI technologies that could not be utilized within the school in real corporate environments, students can grow into ‘immediately effective’ assets.

Professor Nang lamented, “The rapidly changing AI environment has surpassed the level that schools can educate on their own.” He added, “There are clear physical limitations in keeping up with AI technology levels using school equipment. Through cooperation with Smilegate, students can overcome these physical limits and gain practical experience, creating an optimal environment.”

The collaboration between Smilegate and Sogang University differs from other industry-academia partnerships. Unlike typical partnerships, there is no rule requiring students who complete the curriculum supported by the company to be employed by that company.

Director Han said, “Since the entire industry is experiencing an AI talent shortage, supporting the securing of talent exclusively for ourselves is not the right direction. This is also the belief of Kwon Hyukbin, Chairman of Smilegate.”

Smilegate plans to increase support for the AI Center to nurture talent. Director Han emphasized, “Statistics show that 95% of AI talent worldwide are employed in the U.S. and China. If, in a few years, the AI technology information currently available as open source becomes closed, we will need talent who can develop our own AI algorithms. This is why the role of schools is important.”

Professor Nang said, “To train convergent AI talents equipped with practical skills, we will expand various programs in the future. I hope Smilegate becomes a good model so that similar models emerge in many educational institutions.”

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