Samsung Electro-Mechanics puts staff-built agents to a workplace test
Samsung Electro-Mechanics is holding its first internal agent development contest in Suwon, with employees building tools around procedures they know from their daily work. The company’s own SEMCo-Work platform connects AI with existing systems on internal servers. The contest combines practical judging with plans to share the resulting agents across the workforce and use colleagues’ suggestions to improve them.
Artificial Intelligence··Midday
Staff build tools around repetitive workplace steps
Samsung Electro-Mechanics has begun its first internal AI agent development contest at its Suwon site in South Korea. The event runs from 13 to 16 October, involving 200 employees in 100 two-person teams. Participants use SEMCo-Work, the company's own platform, to turn time-consuming procedures from their daily work into tools that automate or simplify them. The company is targeting product development, production, quality management and customer service. Teams are asked to move from identifying a problem to building a working application within the contest period, with practical use among the judging criteria.[1], [2]
SEMCo-Work runs on the company's own servers
SEMCo-Work is a platform for agents that plan and carry out several steps towards a requested goal. Samsung Electro-Mechanics built it on its own servers, intending to preserve internal security and make AI work with existing business systems. Its name combines SEMCO with the idea of working together. Chief executive Chang Duck-hyun described the aim of giving employees experience creating an agent suited to their work. Vice president Chang Woo-suk said the company would support people who know the tasks in building the tools they need and refining them with colleagues.[1], [2]
Participant Yoon Sae-mi described an agent under development for managing development data. The tool automates information gathering, inspection requests and registration in a system. She said the platform let her implement the functions she needed. The example concerns a tool being developed by an employee, rather than a measured company-wide productivity result.[2]
The contest tools are planned for wider staff access
Five teams passing the preliminary assessment are to advance to the final. Company executives and executives responsible for AI transformation at other Samsung businesses will assess AI use, the problem-solving method and practical applicability. Gold, silver, bronze and encouragement awards total 33 million won, with presentation planned for the anniversary ceremony on 2 November. Samsung Electro-Mechanics plans to share the resulting agents with all employees after the contest. Suggestions from use are to reach the development team and inform improvements. The company also runs quarterly agent contests and calls for AI ideas and examples.[1], [2]
