SK puts 72 million won of stipend behind each of about 50 AI trainees in its first AIGEN class

The terms published so far say how participants get into the program. They do not yet say what happens to them afterward. Selection turns on motivation and growth potential, with academic background and major set aside ^[5].

At 3 million won a month for 24 months, each participant draws 72 million won ^[14], so a class of about 50 comes to 3.6 billion won ^[15]. That is the stipend alone; SK also provides skills training, project mentoring and workspace ^[11]. Park Sang-kyu, president of mySUNI, said SK plans to recruit a new cohort every year ^[13]. If each later class is also 50, two classes overlap from March 2028 and the stipend line settles at 3.6 billion won a year ^[17].

Park's description of the purpose is modest. "SK developed AIGen to support young people who want to build skills suited to the AI era," he said ^[12]. Chairman Chey Tae-won, in a televised lecture in May, said training aimed at quickly absorbing knowledge and performing well on exams is being replaced by AI ^[10]. "What matters is building the well-rounded capabilities that let people adapt to a range of changes and keep multiple options open," he said ^[9]. Neither quotation mentions hiring, and the sources do not say whether SK affiliates will recruit from the class.

In our view the likeliest design is a paid look at 50 people SK did not have to screen by degree: 72 million won each buys two years of mentored project work before SK has to decide anything. Two other readings fit the same facts. The program could be a talent-development or brand exercise with no hiring intent, or it could become a pipeline in practice if affiliates start making offers.

We would change that view if SK publishes a conversion path, such as affiliate hiring targets, before the first class finishes in March 2029 ^[16]. We would hold it if the class finishes and its members are placed mostly elsewhere.