Samseog Ko  |  Distinguished Professor, Dongguk University  ·  Member, National AI Committee

At ASTEEDA Executive Salon 2026 in Nozawa Onsen, Samseog Ko frames artificial intelligence as the force pushing two longtime competitors toward joint platforms, shared IP and a common ‘EnterTech’ ecosystem.

[고삼석의 인사이트]경쟁을 넘어 공진화로: 한국과 일본 기업이 함께 만드는 새로운 미래
고삼석 “AI 시대 한·일 기업은 경쟁을 넘어 콘텐츠·IP·기술을 결합한 ‘공진화(Co-evolution)’를 통해서만 미·중 플랫폼 종속을 벗어나 아시아 발(發) 엔터테크 생태계 구축”
K-EnterTech HubSamseog Ko

One of the most important changes in the 21st-century global economy is that the very nature of competition between companies is shifting. In the industrial era, firms believed they could grow only by defeating their rivals. The market was understood as a zero-sum game. But today’s economy, led by digital platforms and artificial intelligence (AI), is different. Companies now compete and cooperate at the same time, and grow together even as they cooperate, building a new order in the process. To describe this current, I have long emphasized the concept of “co-evolution.”

Co-evolution originated in evolutionary biology. It refers to the phenomenon in which different species evolve together through continuous interaction. Flowers and bees, forests and microorganisms are representative examples. Evolutionary economics and business-ecosystem theory later began applying the concept to relationships among companies, industries, and nations. A company no longer grows alone. It achieves greater innovation and sustainable growth when it evolves together with diverse partners in its ecosystem.