Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
AMCHAM, Speak highlight AI's role in developing global workforce
Connor Zwick, co-founder and CEO of Speak, second from left; Kwon Oh-hyung, AMCHAM vice chairman and senior vice president and president of Asia-Pacific at Qualcomm Technologies, center; and Andrew Hsu, chief technology officer of Speak, second from right, pose during a forum in Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of AMCHAM
By Lee Gyu-lee
The American Chamber of Commerce in Korea (AMCHAM), in partnership with Speakeasy Labs, developer of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered language learning platform Speak, hosted a forum Wednesday on how AI can help companies build a globally competitive workforce.
The event, titled “The New Workforce: How AI Is Powering the Next Generation of Global Talent,” brought together senior executives, human resources leaders and business decision-makers to discuss how AI is reshaping talent development, workplace communication and cross-border collaboration.
The speakers emphasized effective communication, AI literacy and cross-cultural collaboration as key to sustainable global growth as Korean companies expand overseas.
Kwon Oh-hyung, AMCHAM vice chairman and senior vice president and president of Asia-Pacific at Qualcomm Technologies, and Connor Zwick, co-founder and CEO of Speakeasy Labs, delivered opening remarks.
“Technology alone does not drive transformation. Its real value emerges when people have the skills and confidence to put it to work,” Kwon said, stressing the need for Korean companies to develop employees who can communicate effectively, use AI confidently and work across cultures.
Zwick said AI is making personalized workforce training more affordable at scale.
“Until recently, preparing an entire workforce for that was unaffordable, so companies trained a handful of executives instead,” he said.
“AI has changed the economics. A company can now give individualized practice to 10,000 employees, built around their specific work, for what used to cover just a few dozen.”
Andrew Hsu, chief technology officer of Speak, said in a keynote that AI is not reducing the importance of English proficiency but increasing the need for effective communication skills.
He highlighted role-based practice and industry-specific content as tools for addressing business problems caused by miscommunication, urging companies to use AI not only to accelerate existing tasks but also to rethink how work is done.
Choi Chung-nam, team manager at HANDOK, shared the pharmaceutical company's approach to workforce transformation, combining leadership change, practical upskilling, real-world application and companywide adoption.
Zwick later joined Kim Soo-yeon, chief technology officer of EY Asia East, for a fireside chat on how AI is reshaping global business growth. They discussed practical ways companies can use AI to strengthen competitiveness across markets.
The event concluded with a networking session focused on AI-driven talent development and organizational transformation.