뉴스센터

Business Management Professor Younggeun Lee of the State University of New York, Korea delivered a keynote address on December 9, 2025, in Phuket, Thailand, at the U.S. Department of State–hosted Entrepreneurship in the Age of AI forum. The event convened 50 delegates from 16 countries, including government officials, NGO executives, AI startup founders, and academic experts, to discuss how artificial intelligence is reshaping entrepreneurial ecosystems worldwide.

In his keynote, Teaching Entrepreneurship in the Era of the AI Renaissance, Professor Lee examined how AI is transforming entrepreneurial learning, decision-making, and venture creation. Drawing on his research and recent case studies, he outlined seven core themes that characterize contemporary AI-driven entrepreneurship.

Three themes generated particular discussion. AI Coach vs. Human Mentor highlighted the potential of hybrid human × AI coaching models, especially when AI systems are trained on deep institutional knowledge bases such as Y Combinator’s archival materials. The Rise of the AI Co-Founder described how entrepreneurs increasingly rely on AI stacks for market research, financial modeling, and early-stage validation, marking a shift toward “learning-with-AI” as a foundational entrepreneurial skill. AI-as-a-Judge examined the use of large language models to evaluate startup pitches with high consistency, while still requiring bias monitoring and human oversight for final decisions.

Professor Lee also addressed broader trends shaping the entrepreneurial landscape. These included the growing importance of AI literacy as a societal baseline, the emergence of AI-native universities, debates over AI weaponization in competitive markets, and the accelerating demand for governance frameworks that define responsible AI-driven venture creation.

The forum concluded with delegates outlining the AI and Entrepreneurship Strategic White Paper, a confidential U.S.–Indo-Pacific framework focused on AI education, SME innovation, and cross-border digital collaboration. The initiative aims to enhance geopolitical competitiveness while establishing practical pathways for shared and sustainable growth.

Reflecting on the discussions, Professor Lee noted: “AI sovereignty is emerging as a key determinant of global competitiveness. Governments face a fundamental decision regarding whether AI literacy and infrastructure should function as widely accessible public goods or remain concentrated within a limited number of countries and corporations. Unequal access to AI capabilities risks intensifying geopolitical competition and generating new forms of global instability. Addressing these risks will require sustained multilateral coordination, potentially through UN-level frameworks that establish shared infrastructure, governance standards, and mechanisms of accountability. Such coordination is essential to ensure that AI-driven innovation advances in ways that are transparent, secure, and broadly beneficial rather than reinforcing existing power asymmetries.”