LG’s Lee Sang-won On The Company’s “Affectionate Intelligence" Vision

“Affectionate intelligence” is how global technology leader LG Electronics (LG) has defined the human-centric vision behind its approach to artificial intelligence (AI)—but what does that actually mean?

That’s the question that Lee Sang-won, Head of the AI Governance Team at LG, answered in a series of videos that the company released about its unique strategy around AI. While “affectionate intelligence” may well be a phrase that can be misconstrued as sentiment or fluff, Lee points out that it is actually forming the foundation of a push by LG to make this groundbreaking technology more thoughtful, grounded, and real.

“We continuously ask: how can AI transform daily life and offer real benefits?” Sang-won said. “Our goal is to deliver differentiated experiences through empathy, understanding, and care. LG’s products and services meet customers in private spaces like the home and car. These devices have sensors that gather unique spatial data, and we saw an opportunity to build competitive strength in ‘affectionate intelligence’ from that.”

According to Sang-won, it was this observation that went on to shape the direction LG took for its exploits with AI. “We don’t want to just provide products or services,” Sang-won explained. “We want to create meaningful space experiences that extend from home to car to B2B. Rather than competing in search or content generation like big tech, we focus on creating true comfort in personal spaces. That’s why we chose the term ‘affectionate intelligence’ for our AI—AI that, like a partner of 30 years, understands with just a glance or a word; AI that remembers the details of your life and supports you seamlessly across spaces.”

But the approach LG has taken with AI isn’t just about being “affectionate”—as Sang-won points out, “responsible AI” is also a cornerstone of the company’s strategy. “When we speak of empathy, it means customers trust and connect with us—that’s why we’ve made ‘responsible AI’ a core part of ‘affectionate Intelligence,’ [which means] managing AI carefully, protecting data, and ensuring safe access,” he explains. “We guard against AI that assumes too much or overreaches. We constantly ask: is this level of AI involvement appropriate? Does it help, or harm? Plus, because we live with AI in physical spaces, we think about physical safety too—like AI that doesn’t just open a window at your request, but checks if it’s safe to do so first.”

By redefining AI as “affectionate intelligence,” LG is thus articulating more than a product philosophy—it’s setting expectations for how AI should behave in the spaces we inhabit. This is an ambitious goal, sure—but as Sang-won made clear, it’s one that LG is prepared to pursue. “Until we fully understand the emotions of our customers and the memory of their spaces, our efforts will continue,” he said. “Our goal is for you to feel the greatest comfort in the space that feels most like you.”

Pictured in the lead image is Lee Sang-won, Head of AI Governance Team at LG. Courtesy LG.