SK Telecom CEO Jung Jae-heon met senior executives in the global telecommunications industry to discuss growth strategies for the AI era and ways to build digital trust.

SKT said on Sept. 10 that Jung attended the GSMA M360 ASEAN event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Sept. 9 local time.

The event brought together representatives from telecom carriers, tech companies and policy authorities from East Asia and ASEAN to discuss AI transition, AI sovereignty, stronger security and trust in telecom networks. Jung met GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath to discuss next-generation growth opportunities for an AI-based telecom industry and strategies to shift telecom infrastructure to AI.

The two sides also explored ways to cooperate on SKT's "Asia AI infrastructure hub" strategy and an AI full-stack strategy spanning infrastructure, models and services. They also shared ways to secure digital trust, including stronger information protection systems, digital crime prevention and AI-based network upgrades.

Jung also met Syed Danial Albukhary (샤이드 다니알 알부카리), a director at Tradewinds, an investment company of Malaysia's Albukhary Group, and agreed to identify opportunities for cooperation between the two sides. Albukhary Group is a conglomerate that leads national infrastructure industries in Malaysia, including ports, automobiles, energy, finance and media.

Jung also attended a roundtable the same afternoon with executives from major Asian telecom carriers and tech companies including those from Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Participants agreed that strengthening security, securing technological sovereignty and reshaping governance in the AI era to earn the trust of customers and society would become a source of corporate competitiveness.

Jung said, "In the AI era, the capability to earn the trust of customers and society, as much as the speed of technological innovation, determines corporate competitiveness." He added, "We will flesh out cooperation with global telecom companies in the area of digital trust and build a sustainable AI ecosystem."