[Edaily Reporter Kim Hyun-ah ] Even if you haven’t majored in AI (Artificial Intelligence) or have no experience using it, you can still apply for #SK Group’s youth talent development program, “SK AIGEN.” Eligible applicants are young South Koreans aged 19 to 34 as of March 2027, and the application period runs from 9:00 a.m. on November 1 to 11:00 p.m. on November 15. SK Group plans to select approximately 50 participants for the first cohort of AIGEN.

The program will begin in March 2027 and run for approximately 22 months as a full-time, in-person program at a dedicated facility near Seolleung in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. It will be difficult to balance the program with academic studies, a job, or a business. Participants will receive a monthly living allowance of 3 million won for two years, access to dedicated learning and collaboration spaces, AI tools, laptop rentals, and opportunities to collaborate with industry experts. The Seoul National University campus will also be utilized for training.

Applications can be submitted via the SK Careers and iZEN websites. Final selections are scheduled to be announced in January 2027 following a review of applications, an online AI interview, a comprehensive competency assessment, and in-person interviews. A high GPA, professional certifications, a fully developed idea, or notable achievements are not required. Submitting a portfolio is also optional.

The talent SK iZEN is seeking is not limited to young people who are proficient in AI or have fully developed ideas. The program is aimed at those who want to solve problems they’ve always been curious about and are willing to try again even if they fail. The program values curiosity, personal interests, a problem-solving mindset, and the ability to take action.

The briefing on the 28th was attended by 120 participants in person, with over 3,000 others joining online. Park Sang-kyu, President of SK mySUNI and Chair of the SK Group Talent Development Committee, expressed his hope that young people would use iZEN to build the “muscle” they need to navigate life. He stated, “In an era where people live to be 100, two years is the time to cultivate the ability, will, and perseverance to adapt to new changes,” adding, “The experience of collaborating with peers who hold different perspectives will also become a lifelong asset.”

Eisen is not a program that guarantees employment or certification. President Park emphasized, “If you want a stable job at a large corporation, Eisen is not the right fit.” He explained that the program is better suited for young people who are willing to take risks and embrace failure, and who seek to collaborate with those who hold different perspectives, rather than those focused solely on securing stable employment.

Professor Park Hyun-woo of Seoul National University’s Graduate School of Data Science also cited curiosity, personal taste, and a critical mindset as essential competencies in the AI era. He explained that even if AI can quickly produce plausible results, refining them to an expert level requires one’s own criteria for judgment and a deep understanding of the field.

Professor Park used an analogy to illustrate that while anyone can use AI to “obtain” Michelangelo’s “hand,” they do not necessarily gain the “eye” to recognize a good piece of work. He explained that even if AI can quickly produce results at 60–70% of the desired quality, the process of raising them to the 99% level expected by experts is much more difficult. This implies that rather than simply accepting the answers provided by AI, one must develop criteria for judging the quality and usefulness of the results.

Advice was also offered to go beyond using AI merely as a tool for simple answers and instead to use it to create tools for repeated use or to identify what one does not know. The point is that it is not just the ability to use AI that matters, but also the capacity to determine for oneself what problems to solve and to evaluate the results.

Recruitment categories include Entrepreneurship & Business, Technology & Research, Culture, Arts & Sports, and Society, Public Service & Education. Examples include using AI to create music or videos, improve sports performance, or find ways to reduce inconveniences in education and care settings. Entrepreneurship or commercialization does not necessarily have to be the goal.

The program is divided into a first and second year. In the first year, participants undertake projects to identify problems in daily life, local communities, and public, social, and corporate settings; develop solutions using AI; and then validate those solutions. A curriculum in collaboration with the Seoul National University AI Research Institute will also be offered. In the second year, participants refine their areas of interest, carry out field-based individual projects, and can even take on the challenge of starting a business.

SK iZen explains that the rights to participants’ creative works serve as both their portfolio and an asset for future challenges. Jo Man-hee, Team Leader at SK iZen, stated at the briefing, “Our approach is to respect and guarantee the right to create to the fullest extent possible.” However, for works created using corporate assets or data, or in collaboration with colleagues or external organizations, SK iZen stated that relevant matters will be discussed, taking into account factors such as the level of contribution and the terms of collaboration.

Izen does not offer degrees or certifications, nor does it guarantee employment with the SK Group. The program focuses on the experience of not merely learning how to use AI, but rather defining one’s own problems, attempting to solve them independently, and evaluating the results.