SK Telecom is moving to build an organisational system in which people and artificial intelligence work together, including by giving AI agents employee ID numbers as well as affiliations, duties and authority.

SKT said on Monday it will implement "AX Innovation 2.0" to create a work environment that allows employees to focus on AI transformation (AX).

Jae-heon Jung (정재헌), SKT's chief executive officer, presented an AX strategy at last week's "2026 New Icheon Forum" that goes beyond AX Innovation 1.0, which focused on improving field work efficiency, to drive organisational productivity and business model innovation.

AX Innovation 2.0 focuses on fundamentally redesigning the way employees work by using AI. SKT defined AI not as a simple work support tool but as a new working entity that works alongside employees. It will therefore issue employee ID numbers to AI agents and grant them affiliations, duties and authority. It will manage them through procedures similar to those for people, from joining to leaving, and build a governance system, including rules on access authority to data and security systems.

It will have AI agents collaborate with employees with clear roles within work systems to reduce repetitive tasks. It will also introduce an "AX Sandbox" system to redesign existing work methods based on AI. The AX Sandbox is an internal experiment that re-examines existing work procedures from scratch.

SKT ran a pilot AX Sandbox over the past three months in some organisations within its AI CIC. It confirmed the effects of a "multi-role" way of working in which one employee performs multiple roles such as planning, development and design alongside several AI agents, as well as shorter planning times and faster decision-making. The company will expand the AX Sandbox to shift the existing division-of-labour work structure to a way of planning and executing and improving work together with AI.

It will also improve its internal environment for using AI. It will integrate existing in-house AI development platforms such as A-dot Biz, Polaris and Playground and link them with key work systems. It will also enhance its security system so employees can use AI tools and agents safely. It will select "AX Catalysts" to support organisational AI transformation. AX Catalysts will share success cases by organisation and take on roles to solve issues that arise in the field when using AI. It will build an AX training system centred on practical cases and revamp the existing system for sharing AI transformation ideas into an "AX Library."

Jung said, "Through making AX part of everyday work, employees' time and capabilities will be converted into a growth engine that drives new challenges," adding, "We will spare no support so that employees can fully build AI capabilities and create results."