LG Group Chairman Koo Kwang-mo has urged top executives to move faster on artificial intelligence, calling speed the decisive factor in the group’s transition as geopolitical uncertainty and AI-driven disruption intensify.

Koo made the remarks at an executive meeting Wednesday that was attended by about 40 heads of major affiliates, where the group discussed ways to strengthen its fundamentals amid rising external volatility.

“AI will become more than just a tool to improve efficiency and productivity. It signals the start of a new era and requires fundamental changes,” Koo said. “The future of the group will depend on how we understand and respond to this shift.”

He emphasized execution over planning, arguing that speed matters more than a “perfect plan.”

“We need to act quickly in areas where the business can make an impact, even if small, accumulate results and scale them,” Koo said.

Koo also urged executives to take direct ownership of the transition, stressing that AI transformation should not be left to specialized teams, but led by business heads themselves.

The meeting, held at LG’s Namsan Leadership Center in Seoul, doubled as a live demonstration of the group’s AI push. Executives used Exaone — a foundation model developed by LG AI Research — to analyze discussions in real time, extract key themes and generate summaries.

The initiative reflects Koo’s broader strategy to position AI alongside bio and cleantech as core growth pillars. He established LG AI Research in 2020 as a groupwide think tank and later launched LG AI Graduate School, Korea’s first government-accredited in-house graduate program to train AI specialists.

The graduate school, which opened earlier this month, admitted 17 employees from affiliates including LG Electronics, LG Energy Solution, LG Innotek, LG Display and LG Chem. Participants receive full tuition support and will complete programs of at least one year for a master’s degree and three years or more for a doctorate.

Separately, Koo stepped down as board chair after eight years in the role to focus on his responsibilities as CEO, handing the position to an independent director for the first time as LG moves to strengthen board independence.

At LG Corp.’s annual shareholders meeting on Thursday, Kim Hwan-su, a former senior judge at the Seoul High Court, was appointed as an independent director and audit committee member. Park Jong-soo, a Korea University law professor, was reappointed as an independent director serving on the audit committee under a separate election.

In a written message delivered by LG Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer Kwon Bong-seok, Koo said LG would further clarify its investment priorities and long-term direction this year while elevating its accumulated technologies to a world-class level to secure a competitive edge that is difficult to replicate.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)