SK hynix has launched a new training program, AI for Impact, aimed at strengthening the AI capabilities of social enterprises and citizen scientists1. The launch event was held on May 13 in Seoul.
1Citizen scientist: A non-professional individual who contributes to scientific research as a member of the general public.
AI for Impact is a program jointly established by SK hynix and Microsoft to help address social issues by developing AI capabilities within the social enterprise ecosystem. The program aims to expand both the scope and impact of social enterprises’ social value (SV) creation by enabling them to apply AI technology to solve social issues. In addition, it seeks to raise awareness among the general public that AI can be utilized to generate SV in everyday life.
The program is designed for members of social enterprises interested in developing their AI skills and citizen scientists who seek to address challenges in the environment, safety, and health fields. These citizen scientists include participants in the Citizen Science Seed Grant2 run by the Korea SHE (Safety Health Environment) Foundation. The training content is offered in collaboration with Microsoft’s global AI Skills Initiative, which is designed to make AI education more accessible to a wider audience.
2Citizen Science Seed Grant: A Talent Development Support Program by the Korea SHE Foundation that fosters projects in which citizens collaborate to solve challenges related to the environment, safety, and health.
Trainees will study a curriculum offering an introduction to AI fundamentals, including a focused overview of AI ethics. It also involves hands-on training in practical applications of generative AI such as creating promotional videos and e-brochures.
The first in-person AI for Impact training session
The launch event, held in collaboration with Microsoft, was attended by Jongeun Sung, AI National Skills director for Microsoft Korea; Jaeyeon Jang, chairperson of the Korea SHE Foundation; and Vice President Bangsil Lee, head of Social Value Creation at SK hynix. During the event, the speakers introduced the goals of the program and shared plans for its future. Following the opening session, an in-person training session was held for over 100 pre-registered participants, including members of social enterprises and citizen scientists. The session covered topics such as data analysis and visualization; addressing environmental, safety, and health issues using public data and generative AI; and AI-based process automation.
Seunghee Kang, COO of BEECONNECT.LAB, a social enterprise
“There is strong demand among social enterprises for data analysis and AI utilization,” said Seunghee Kang, COO of the social enterprise BEECONNECT.LAB. “Through this opportunity, I was able to learn practical ways to use generative AI to meet these needs. I plan to complete the remaining training sessions and apply the knowledge to our business to help create social value.”
Minseon Park, CEO of Opendoor, who participated as a Citizen Science Seed Grant researcher, said: “I was particularly impressed by the potential and efficiency of using AI technology in environmental research. I believe this training program will be a great help in exploring innovative approaches to solving environmental issues in the future.”
Korea SHE Foundation Chairperson Jaeyeon Jang delivers a welcome speech
Korea SHE Foundation Chairperson Jang said: “We will continue our efforts to leverage AI technology in the environment, safety, and health fields to address various social issues and create social value.”
“We hope that the AI for Impact program will enhance the AI capabilities of social enterprises and citizen scientists. Moving forward, we plan to continue developing AI training programs,” added SK hynix Social Value Creation Head Lee.
