[DigitalToday reporter Shin-hye Ahn] Woowa Brothers, the operator of Baemin, said on April 24 it is recruiting the first cohort for a free artificial intelligence (AI) education programme for restaurant owners, “AI Business School,” at its free business school, Baemin Academy.

Baemin Academy set up its education roadmap based on the results of an in-house survey on restaurant owners’ awareness and use of AI. In the survey of 836 Baemin Academy members, based on respondents, 91.5 percent of restaurant owners predicted that AI would be an essential technology and a means of improving efficiency for running food service businesses within three years.

Despite the high level of awareness, actual usage was low, it found. Only 32.1 percent said they currently use AI in store operations. More than half, 58.9 percent, said they would fall behind in competition if they did not use AI.

Baemin Academy built a three-stage education roadmap of beginner, intermediate and advanced courses, taking into account restaurant owners’ situations and levels. The first AI Business School cohort will be held under the theme of promotional marketing that helps raise store sales.

Areas where restaurant owners have many on-the-ground concerns were grouped into six key themes: promotional marketing (channel operations, content and promotions) and store operations (customer management, menu management and workforce management). The company prepared practical AI-use training that can be applied immediately in the field for each level. It sees the course as enabling systematic education, from basic AI learning to designing automation processes through AI systems.

Baemin Academy plans to train restaurant owners who solved real business-site problems with AI and delivered results as “AI ambassadors,” and to spread these success cases across the industry.

Kwon Yong-gyu (권용규), head of Baemin Academy at Woowa Brothers, said it built an education roadmap so AI can help improve restaurant operating efficiency. He said he hopes the programme will be a good opportunity for restaurant owners who want to use AI as a useful tool.