KB News Desk
Hyundai chief’s push to become IT-like tech company evolves into rapid AI adoption
Hyundai Motor Group is rapidly integrating artificial intelligence across its offices, factory floor and customer service operations, aiming to become one of South Korea’s fastest adopters of the technology to boost workplace efficiency.
During a press conference held at the company’s Seoul headquarters on Wednesday, Jin Eun-sook, president of the ICT division at Hyundai Motor Group, said the company’s push to incorporate flexible, adaptable and tech-driven work culture dates back to 2018. That was when Executive Chair Chung Euisun urged Hyundai to become “more like an IT company than actual IT companies.”
Before introducing generative AI to the workspace, the company launched a digital transformation initiative in 2022 by replacing closed communication channels like email and messenger with global Software as a Service platforms such as Microsoft 365, Jira and Dooray. Adopting collaborative document and wiki tools allowed the company to standardize its massive data, creating an AI-ready foundation to adopt AI applications much faster.
Beginning last year, Hyundai made its generative AI platform, “H Chat Pro,” available to all employees, enabling them to use leading Large Language Models — including ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude — in a secure environment.
As of July, H Chat Pro reported approximately 30,000 users, representing roughly 80 percent of all office and research and development staff at Hyundai Motor Group.
Notably, Chung has steered this cultural shift. Jin noted that Chung insisted on “vibe coding” sessions — using AI tools to generate software through language prompts — so he and C-level executives could understand AI’s capabilities and limits firsthand. Chung also replaced PowerPoint briefings with real-time collaborative tools, accelerating the decision-making process.
Through its company-wide AI transformation, Hyundai is driving workplace innovation across R&D, manufacturing, maintenance and customer service, encouraging employees to build their own customized AI tools via H Chat Pro.
On the R&D front, the company launched the Crash Safety AI Assistant, which centralizes fragmented collision-test data. By helping engineers to instantly search, compare and analyze past test cases, the system cuts research analysis time by roughly 90 percent.
In manufacturing, Hyundai introduced the “AI automation recognition service,” which uses vision AI to automatically cross-check vehicle identification numbers in real time, preventing assembly errors and saving an estimated 5.24 billion won annually across approximately 70 global plants.
The company’s “trolley alignment optimization technology” uses reinforcement learning AI to instantly map the best logistics routes when auto parts cart sequences get disrupted, reducing unnecessary downtime by about 86 percent.
To build a competitive edge in AI infrastructure, Jin noted that Hyundai is establishing an AI data center at a 500-megawatt capacity in Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province, by 2029-2030. Securing GPUs through Nvidia, the facility will power the company’s “upstream” AI strategy to enhance product competitiveness through physical AI and autonomous driving.
Jin said Hyundai is also pivoting toward top-down “mega-process innovations” aligned with its broader goals.
“One of our primary targets is cutting vehicle development timelines to compete with faster-moving Chinese rivals,” Jin noted. “We have already set plans to shorten these cycles while actively using AI to identify and mitigate operational risks.”
