“The essence of AI transition (AX) is not about introducing tools or reducing work hours. It begins with asking the fundamental question, ‘Why were humans doing this work?’ and redesigning the ‘essence of work’ and ‘workflow’ to create value collaboratively with AI,” said Hong-tae Kim, CEO of THEWHHYLAB, a company focused on people-centered AI education and organizational transformation.
Despite the rapid adoption of generative AI tools like ChatGPT, many companies struggle to achieve tangible business results. In response, THEWHHYLAB has positioned itself as a leader in AX organizational intelligence. Recently, the company published a practical workbook titled AX DISCOVERY and introduced a private qualification course registered with the Ministry of Science and ICT, focusing on field-oriented AX methodologies.
On August 28, Aju Economy interviewed Kim, who has over 20 years of experience as an HR and organizational expert, to discuss the background and significance of his new book, the challenges of corporate AX transitions, and the future competitiveness of education consultants.
Kim has built his career in HR and talent development at major corporations such as Samsung Electronics, Samsung Engineering, and Daewoo Electronics. With a background in materials engineering and advanced degrees in entrepreneurship and technology management, he combines engineering processes, startup frameworks, and validated management theories.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, THEWHHYLAB was founded to explore the essence of humanity and solve organizational issues, as reflected in its name, which emphasizes ‘WHY’ (essence) and ‘H’ (Human). The company promotes a unique organizational culture by using titles like ‘education member’ and ‘one team member’ instead of ‘instructor’ or ‘employee,’ fostering horizontal collaboration among all members from course development to execution. It has collaborated with major companies and institutions, completing over 1,250 training projects and developing more than 50,000 talents.
Recently, THEWHHYLAB released AX DISCOVERY: Designing the Transition from AI to AX, which differs from the plethora of simple prompt-writing guides and tool manuals available in the market. The book was conceived from the realization that, despite the widespread adoption of AI tools, only a small percentage translate into increased sales or business performance.
This workbook is not merely theoretical; it allows practitioners to fill in their organizational contexts across ten canvases to derive actionable plans. It employs techniques such as Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA), Importance-Frequency-Value (IFV) matrices, and Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) principles to identify bottlenecks and clarify the roles of AI and humans.
Kim explained, “From defining AX in Chapter 1 to post-implementation feedback in Chapter 10, each chapter includes a ‘practical guide’ designed to produce specific outputs like job value chain maps, HTA task breakdowns, data readiness assessments, and agent specifications. The principle throughout the book is to transfer repetitive, rule-based tasks to AI while leaving high-level judgment tasks, such as problem definition and context understanding, to humans.” The book has received a rating of 9.8 based on reviews on Yes24, being praised as a practical guide that encourages teams to collaboratively derive actionable plans.
Kim emphasizes the importance of validated execution methodologies for a successful AX transition, which is also the core process of THEWHHYLAB’s AX methodology.
The first step in AX discovery training is to establish ‘AX definitions and goal alignment.’ Kim explains that aligning different AX goals and definitions among various organizational levels, from CEOs to frontline workers, is essential. Next, organizations must assess the ‘five key risks’ and identify ‘pain points.’ It is crucial to recognize that AI is not a replacement for humans but an ‘augmented AI’ that enhances potential, thereby reducing internal resistance. According to Kim, identifying pain points can be particularly challenging; thus, frontline workers should pinpoint the most troublesome bottlenecks and quickly accumulate small successes. Following this, the process should include ‘data readiness assessment → AX transition task identification and prioritization → AI collaboration workflow → performance quantification (ROI).’
Kim noted, “It is important to break down tacit knowledge into task units, redistributing areas for AI processing and human judgment. For sustainable ROI design, it should not be limited to hackathons or one-off events; instead, the time saved (Reduce) should be reallocated to high-value tasks (Reallocate) to create a virtuous cycle of tenfold value (Reinvent).” Once this stage is reached, the ‘prototype agent construction and application’ can take place.
Notably, this book and training program are linked to the Ministry of Science and ICT’s registered private qualification ‘AX Strategic Planning Expert Level 1 and 2,’ allowing non-development practitioners to complete tangible outputs like their own problem definition documents and AI agent manuals through a two-day course.
One of the most common obstacles companies face during the AX transition is a lack of leadership and internal resistance. When organizations focus solely on top-down directives or tool implementation, employees may feel threatened about their job security.
In response, Kim stated, “A top-down leadership approach, where the CEO understands and leads the purpose of AX, must work in tandem with bottom-up efforts to address the pain points of frontline workers.” The trend of major companies increasingly incorporating AX performance into executive evaluations suggests that management and leaders must engage in substantial business restructuring.
As corporate AI transitions accelerate, the paradigm of the existing HRD and education consulting market is undergoing a complete transformation. THEWHHYLAB has declared its shift from traditional knowledge delivery to becoming an ‘AX organizational intelligence specialist.’ Kim identifies ‘formalizing tacit knowledge’ and ‘intelligent engineering’ as key competencies for education consultants in the AI era.
He explained, “While past education consultants focused on imparting knowledge and know-how to individuals, future consultants must become ‘intelligent engineers’ who extract the long-standing know-how of talented individuals within organizations—specifically their decision-making processes and criteria (tacit knowledge)—to train AI agents. The ability to design hybrid organizational structures where humans and AI work together will be the decisive factor in future consulting.”
Kim’s vision for THEWHHYLAB is clear. It aims to become the ‘AX standard model’ by not only being the first to adopt the latest AI tools but also by achieving a complete AX transition internally and sharing that experience and expertise with partner companies.
In practice, THEWHHYLAB actively utilizes customized AI agents built by practitioners in various areas, including marketing, training program development, and report writing, to enhance operational efficiency.
Kim concluded, “AX is not a grand declaration of innovation; it starts with redesigning small tasks on each person’s desk. THEWHHYLAB will promote ‘AX organizational intelligence’ that respects human value while collaborating with AI to achieve the best results, helping numerous companies and individuals find new growth amid technological changes.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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