Kakao will launch Korean-specific vertical AI in year's first half

Kakao Corp., South Korea’s platform giant operating the country’s No. 1 chat app KakaoTalk, by the first half of the year will launch an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) model customized for the Korean language.

"The Kakao subsidiary Kakao Brain will upgrade its Korean language-specific AI model Ko-GPT to GPT-3.5 version for release," Kakao CEO Hong Eun-taek told reporters after a regular shareholders' meeting at the company's headquarters Kakao Space Dot One on Jeju Island. "Based on this, we plan to roll out 'vertical AI service' within this year."

Vertical AI refers to an AI service customized for a specific field like the advertising copywriting tool Wrtn Training of the Seoul-based Wrtn Technologies, under a concept opposite that of general purpose.

Kakao will also apply AI to its popular messaging app KakaoTalk and launch "AI Friends" in the app's friends tab.

"Kakao has a chat interface with a point of contact with users, something advantageous (for AI service)," the CEO said.

Write to Han-Gyeol Seon at always@hankyung.com