Keynote Speech · pages 2–21

From Crude Oil to Intelligence

Sangwon Ko

Marketian · Republic of Korea

Abstract

This keynote examines the fundamental challenges and opportunities facing computer science education and software professionals amid the rapid paradigm shift from the analog era through digital transformation to the emerging Intelligence Economy. Drawing parallels with the rise and decline of past industries and academic disciplines, the talk explores how the widespread adoption of Generative AI has significantly reduced the scarcity value of programming syntax itself. As the world transitions from the 20th-century paradigm of oil refining to the 21st-century era of “intelligence refining” powered by computing resources, developers must evolve beyond the role of coders to become architects of systems and definers of problems. The lecture highlights how value creation is increasingly driven not by writing code, but by identifying meaningful problems, designing intelligent systems, and orchestrating AI capabilities. Through practical industry cases and real-world examples, the speaker will present five actionable principles that professors of artificial intelligence, computer science students, and industry professionals can immediately adopt to secure competitive advantages in the age of AI-driven transformation.

Biography

Experience CEO, Marketian (Current) Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Medicine, CHA University (Current) Former Chief Executive of Management Division, Kwangdong Hospital Former Vice President, K-DOC Former GL&S Korea Manager, Pfizer Korea Former Senior Consultant, Gallup Korea Consulting Former Team Leader, Healthcare Information Systems Development Team, Hallym University Medical Center Academic Records M.Ph.D. in Medicine, CHA University M.M.S. in Marketing, University of Colorado Denver M.B.A. in Accounting, Dongguk University