How telcos can win the AI talent war
With tech giants offering nine-figure deals for AI experts, telcos seem outmatched. But by focusing on national purpose, unique partnerships and tangible impact, they can attract top AI talent
Headlines about eye-watering salaries for artificial intelligence (AI) experts have become commonplace. When a tech giant like Meta reportedly poaches a top researcher with a nine-figure deal, it sends shockwaves through the industry.
With Big Tech’s “superintelligence” teams spending billions on talent acquisition, telecoms executives face a sobering question: How can they possibly compete for AI talent when their rivals wield seemingly unlimited financial resources?
The answer may lie in Seoul, some 5,700 miles from Silicon Valley, where SK Telecom has emerged as a compelling counterexample. The company’s recent selection by Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT as a core partner for developing a proprietary AI foundation model underscores its leadership. SK Telecom is advancing Korea’s AI capabilities through a full-stack, open-source approach spanning semiconductors, models, data and services.
SK Telecom's talent strategy: the three Ps
SK Telecom's approach offers a blueprint for telcos worldwide. Rather than attempting to match Big Tech's compensation, they focus on three key pillars for talent attraction:
1. Purpose: A mission of national digital sovereignty
SK Telecom frames its AI initiatives as critical to Korea’s digital sovereignty. The company’s recruitment strategy highlights how its work strengthens national technological independence and preserves Korean cultural values. As Kim Jiwon, head of SK Telecom's AI Model Lab, notes, “We will strive to increase the independence of the AI ecosystem and contribute to enhancing the nation’s AI competitiveness.”
2. Partnership: A unique implementation advantage
SK Telecom leverages strategic partnerships to create implementation advantages that only a telco can offer. Its collaboration with Korea's Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) connects AI semiconductor development directly to its datacentres. Through the Global Telco AI Alliance – with partners like Deutsche Telekom, e&, Singtel, and SoftBank – it has created shared access to graphics processing unit (GPU) resources and data. This telecommunications-specific pipeline offers researchers unique opportunities to deploy AI solutions optimised for the Korean language and context.
3. Prominence: impact over income
While Big Tech offers massive salaries, SK Telecom delivers career fulfilment through nationwide impact. Its AI solutions directly reach millions of subscribers through Korea’s telecommunications backbone, allowing researchers to see their innovations immediately embedded in essential national services. The SK Telecom-led consortium, entrusted to secure the nation’s digital sovereignty, has already published over 800 research papers, registered more than 700 patents, and delivered over 270 open-source projects.
The crossroads: creator or conduit?
Without decisive action, telecommunications companies worldwide face two divergent futures. Will they actively create and shape their AI-driven future, or will they merely serve as passive conduits for innovations developed by others?
Winners will emerge as “sovereign AI architects,” successfully monetising proprietary language models and GPU-as-a-service offerings. Losers will be relegated to “dumb pipes,” dealing in commoditised services with razor-thin margins.
The talent war playbook
The telecommunications industry stands at a crossroads. Companies that fail to secure top AI talent risk becoming infrastructure landlords for the very companies that poached their best minds. But SK Telecom’s example proves that with the right strategy, telcos can build world-class AI capabilities without winning bidding wars against Silicon Valley.
To compete, telcos should:
- Articulate a compelling purpose. Position your AI initiatives as critical infrastructure supporting national digital sovereignty and cultural values, offering a mission that transcends purely commercial objectives.
- Leverage unique partnerships. Use your telecommunications assets to create differentiated implementation frameworks that Big Tech cannot match, connecting researchers directly to nationwide infrastructure.
- Emphasise prominence through impact. Create roles where AI specialists can rapidly see their work deliver tangible, nationwide results, providing a fulfilling alternative to Silicon Valley’s global but less targeted approach.
By focusing on these strategic advantages, telcos can attract top AI talent seeking meaningful work beyond an astronomical salary. The talent war won’t be won with money alone. It will be won with purpose, partnership, and prominence.
Edwin Lin is principal consultant at Omdia, part of Informa TechTarget
