International cooperation to quantify the social utility generated by AI and ICT technologies has begun in earnest. SK Telecom (SKT) is partnering with Japan's SoftBank and the Center for Social Value Enhancement Studies (CSES) to establish a social value measurement system suitable for the AI era. The goal is to visualize social contributions that are difficult to translate into profit, such as support for vulnerable groups or disaster response, through objective indicators.

On the 9th, SKT signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with SoftBank and the Institute for Social Value at SKT Tower in Euljiro, Seoul, to strengthen cooperation in measuring social value.

SoftBank Corporate Executive Yasuyuki Genda, Social Value Research Institute CEO Seok-Kwon Na, SKT Sustainable Management Office Head Jong-Hwan Eom, and others attended the signing ceremony.

This is not the first time the three companies have cooperated.

Since signing the first MOU in April 2024, they have jointly conducted measurement workshops and case presentations, and SoftBank has achieved results in disclosing its social value measurement results and comparing and analyzing them with SKT's indicators.

This agreement was additionally signed to take the measurement model to the next level based on two years of cooperation experience.

The three companies agreed to pursue the following: measuring the social value created by AI and ICT products and services; jointly developing a globally applicable standard measurement methodology; and conducting case studies, publishing joint reports, and holding forums to spread the measurement methodology in overseas markets, including Korea and Japan.

We plan to combine the business data and measurement know-how held by each company to develop a standard system applicable to various industries.

SKT has been measuring the social value of its overall corporate activities since 2018, and since 2021, it has even been disclosing the measurement formulas for detailed indicators.

The Social Value Research Institute is a non-profit organization established by SK GroupThrough the Lee Foundation, SK Group developed the Double Bottom Line (DBL), a social value measurement system.

Eom Jong-hwan, Head of SKT’s Sustainable Management Office, said, “There is a need for a system to objectively measure and explain the social utility created by AI and the challenges it solves,” adding, “Through this business agreement, we will pursue the development of a standard methodology for measuring social value suitable for the AI era.”