These days, the five‑member girl group “RESCENE” is a hot topic in the music industry. I don’t view this merely as a typical idol success story.
A group from a small agency entered Melon’s Top 10 and captured the second spot in brand reputation, all without the capital or standardized marketing of a major agency, setting a new reverse‑climb record on the 719‑step chart. Interestingly, the catalyst for that success wasn’t a perfectly staged performance. It was the moment member Woni’s YouTube channel, a video about failing a driving test, and the off‑beat shout “Geoje, Yahoo!” became a meme.
Every time I deliver an AI lecture, and in my role as CTO, I encounter the same question: “AI is replacing cognitive work at such speed—how will employees survive?” I see a clue in RESCENE’s growth narrative, so I’ve distilled it as follows.
1. Competing head‑on with AI on the basis of perfection is a losing strategy — the gap (Humanity)
AI makes no typos and never gets fatigued. When you pit yourself against AI on the value of “perfection,” humans lose. There’s no way to win in that scenario.
The key point is that Lisanne captured the public’s heart not through a perfect stage but through a “human flaw.” The same applies in organizations. Colleagues trust, as indispensable partners, those who transparently share problems and grow through feedback rather than those who hide their shortcomings and pretend to be flawless robots. Narrative builds trust.
2. What’s stronger than marketing is plain authenticity — Authenticity
In an era of information overload, the public can instantly spot artificial ads and fake packaging. The same holds at work: excessive politicking or flashy reports lacking substance quickly reveal their emptiness.
Lisanne didn’t force‑follow mainstream trends or over‑package themselves. Through variety shows and YouTube they presented their unpretentious, genuine appeal in a straightforward way, allowing the audience to absorb it organically. Likewise, at work, colleagues are more likely to reach out when you are confident in your abilities yet maintain an honest work attitude, rather than resorting to exaggerated self‑promotion.
3. Ultimately it comes down to fundamentals — Core Ability
Even if memes go viral and opportunities arise, if you can’t perform live on stage and your musicality falls short, Lisanne’s breakout would have ended as a midsummer night’s dream. It was their solid fundamentals, honed across countless stages, that turned opportunities into results.
I consider this point to be the most important. Anyone can quickly learn the trendy skills needed to operate AI tools—that’s just the packaging. However, deep domain knowledge, critical thinking, and the “real substance” that penetrates the essence of a problem do not accumulate easily. Only those who, with humility, have solid fundamentals in their own craft can seize opportunities at decisive moments.
4. What AI cannot do is “lay the groundwork”—the space for co‑creation
AI executes the tasks you command excellently. But it cannot weave people’s hearts into a shared culture. The true secret behind Lissenne’s reverse trajectory is that it laid a “meme” platform where the public can play together, leaving room for voluntary participation.
Someone who tries to finish every task perfectly on their own, like a lone wolf, is not the talent needed in the AI era. The more complex the planning, the more you must communicate in a way that colleagues can easily understand, and keep the door open for others to contribute and add their perspectives to your project. Social connectors who can harness collective intelligence are the core talent.
5. Irreplaceable trust stems from routine—consistency
If Lissenne had not maintained a steady album release schedule and a communication routine with fans for roughly two years after debut, the myth of climbing the 719 steps would have been impossible from the start.
Sustainability is more important than flashy results. You need to establish your own work processes and routines to build trust in the organization as a “predictable and consistently high‑performing individual.” Moreover, you must continuously demonstrate universal values that resonate across the entire organization, rather than narrow knowledge that only applies to a specific department.
In summary, the lesson I draw from Lissenne’s leap is clear: the more technology mimics human intelligence, the paradoxically more the “most human and fundamentally authentic values” become a powerful competitive advantage.
Fill the substance rather than flashy packaging, leave room for communication rather than striving for perfection, and quietly maintain your own routine. In the harsh workplace ecosystem dominated by AI, I believe the equation for our survival ultimately lies here.