“AI로 사회 문제를 풀다” FLY AI 챌린저 9기 수료식 현장

SK Telecom held the graduation ceremony for the 9th cohort of its AI talent development program, FLY AI Challenger, on September 4 at SKT T-Tower. The program, operated since 2022 in partnership with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Korea Industrial Safety Association, and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, selects job seekers through interviews and coding tests before providing 420 hours of offline training over 10 weeks. Mentors include current professors, AI company representatives, and SK Telecom’s active developers.

The 67 participants of the 9th cohort, who completed the program from June 22, developed AI services for socially vulnerable groups and digitally marginalized individuals. Working in 12 teams, they participated in design thinking workshops and a joint hackathon with Hana Financial Group, focusing on topics such as independent living for people with visual, hearing, or mobility impairments, digital exclusion among seniors, educational inequality for children, and marketing support for small business owners.

At the graduation ceremony, the 12 teams presented their AI solutions across three sessions, demonstrating projects like ‘꿀노트,’ an AI-powered hands-free note-taking tool for people with limited hand mobility; ‘다비,’ a smartphone guidance app for seniors; ‘손결,’ a one-handed sign language recognition system; and ‘뷰티톡,’ a voice-guided makeup assistance tool for the visually impaired. Judges evaluated technical quality, user validation, commercial potential, and areas for improvement.

Graduates reflected on their 10-week journey, with SK Telecom’s ESG office head encouraging them to view graduation as a new beginning. The program has trained 534 AI professionals since its launch in 2022, and SK Telecom plans to continue fostering talent to address social issues through AI technology.