GS Group Chairman Heo Tae-su Convenes Executive Meeting — 'Technology at Strategy Center, Must Create Opportunities'

GS Group Chairman Huh Tae-soo convened key affiliate executives (150+ including presidents and executives from major GS subsidiaries) to intensively review future business strategy and core execution tasks. Themes addressed: Chinese companies'' rapid growth; energy industry and demographic/social structure changes; technology paradigm shift. Context: GS core businesses (refining/chemicals, energy, distribution, construction) experiencing performance difficulties. Chairman Huh emphasized AI and new technology-centered business transformation: "Knowledge and data accumulated at all business sites are our most powerful assets — combine these with AI, strengthen inter-affiliate collaboration, and develop into new businesses." On technology evolution: generative AI is already here, but Physical AI — used for process optimization, robotics integration, and other physical process innovation — represents an important turning point for GS industries. On quantum computing: "Quantum computing has confirmed potential to change the industrial landscape in the near future — executives without sensitivity to technology change have no place here; understand the new world technology creates and find business opportunities." AX platform: GS developed its own AX (AI Transformation) platform "MISO" and is accelerating AI internalization. M&A guidance: "We continually review various M&A at group level, but now need more strategic and execution-focused approaches — secure breakthrough technology through active M&A and startup investments to drive 10-30x returns." The underlying message: traditional heavy industries facing structural challenges (energy transition, digital disruption) must leverage AI not as a defensive cost-cutting tool but as an offensive capability that transforms accumulated operational expertise into new business value.