Shift Up CEO: AI is Crucial for Smaller Nations to Compete with China and the US

According to Shift Up's CEO, Hyung-tae Kim, the key to remaining competitive lies in embracing AI technology, as human resources alone are insufficient to rival larger nations. Speaking at the 2026 Economic Growth Strategy event in South Korea, Kim emphasized that AI can optimize workforce utilization and protect jobs by upskilling developers. He illustrated the disparity by noting that while Shift Up assigns around 150 people to a game, Chinese companies dedicate between 1,000 to 2,000 staff members to a single project. Kim believes that leveraging generative AI can enable one trained developer to accomplish the work of 100 people, thereby bridging the gap in content quality and volume. This stance on AI adoption comes as the gaming industry grapples with its role in content creation, with some studios like Larian Studios opting not to use generative AI for concept art in their upcoming RPG, Divinity.