Choi made the remarks in a dialogue on industrial AI with Siemens President and CEO Roland Busch at the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business (APK), held Oct. 29 to 31 at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas.
Choi said AI must reach small and midsize businesses and their suppliers before gains at individual firms can ripple out into productivity and competitiveness across entire industries.
She added that human judgment grows more vital as AI takes on a wider range of work.
"Whether it actually solved problems in the field, and how much of the time and resources saved were put toward more valuable work, are the real results of AI adoption," Choi said, adding that the polish of AI's output alone is not the measure.
Busch said industrial AI stands at a pivotal moment but delivers its full value only when deployed safely and reliably on the shop floor and scaled across industry.
The two also weighed combining German engineering expertise with Asia's prowess in chips, AI models and digital platforms.
Busch and senior Siemens executives later toured 1784, Naver's robot-friendly headquarters in Seongnam, south of Seoul.
Executives from both companies discussed taking Naver's digital twin technology, already in use at industrial sites, to global markets with Siemens' industrial solutions, and explored cooperation on robots and robot foundation models.
AJP Takeaways
- Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon said on Oct. 31, 2026, that industrial AI will reach a tipping point only when small businesses can readily use it. She spoke in a dialogue with Siemens President and CEO Roland Busch at the 19th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business in Seoul.
- The conference ran Oct. 29-31, 2026, at the Grand InterContinental Seoul Parnas. Busch and senior Siemens executives then visited 1784, Naver's headquarters in Seongnam.
- Naver and Siemens discussed taking Naver's digital twin technology to global markets alongside Siemens' industrial solutions. The two companies also explored cooperation on robotics and robot foundation models.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.