Shift Up's CEO believes AI is essential to compete with China.

Shift Up CEO Believes AI is Essential to Compete with China

At the nationwide briefing on "South Korea's Economic Growth Strategy until 2026" held on January 9th, Shift Up CEO and Stellar Blade Director Hyung-Tae Kim shared his views on artificial intelligence, positioning it as a crucial tool for competing with major rivals like China on a global level.

The briefing, chaired by the President of South Korea, was attended by high-ranking government officials. Kim represented the private sector, along with other prominent business figures.

Commenting on the situation in the domestic gaming industry, Kim expressed concerns about China's overwhelming advantage in terms of workforce and suggested that utilizing artificial intelligence technologies would become an indispensable tool for bridging this gap. He explained that since about 80% of Shift Up's revenue comes from overseas markets, Chinese games represent a serious competitor.

We allocate about 150 people to develop one game, while China allocates from 1,000 to 2,000. We lack the capacity to compete in terms of either quality or volume of content.

According to Kim, the solution to this problem lies in adopting AI. He argues that the widespread use of AI will not lead to job losses, because to compete with major players like China and the US, it will require not only utilizing all available manpower but also training all specialists to work with AI so that "one person can do the work of 100."

Hwi-yeon Chae, South Korea's Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, supported this stance. Some major gaming companies already possess their own AI technologies and are developing programs for joint development with small and medium-sized studios. As Chae explained, the government will work on providing financial support for the transition to AI, with investments planned for 2026.