S.Korean companies rushing to launch exotic AI-based services

Lowered barriers in South Korea to the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) have fueled the growing popularity of unique AI services.

The emergence of startups pioneering a new business-to-consumer market based on AI has even prompted the nation's telecom giants to explore new fields with the technology. Amid the flood of AI services, even a ChatGPT plug-in to find optimal AI services has appeared.

Industry sources on Wednesday said the AI video company Alethio has launched Baby Face, a service that shows previews of a fetus' face 50 days after birth. AI analyzes stereoscopic ultrasound pictures of a fetus older than 25 weeks and shows what the face could look like after birth through photos and videos.

This method uses deep learning technology to create clear images of a fetus, which is often obscured by the placenta and umbilical cord. With over 5,000 user reviews, this service is going viral among newlyweds through word of mouth.

In the travel sector, AI services for planning trips have long been popular.

MyRealTrip early this year rolled out an AI travel planning service using OpenAI's ChatGPT. A chatbot recommends travel destinations, routes and restaurants according to the user's desired schedule and provides information on the cheapest airfares and popular travel products.

Interpark Triple, a ticketing subsidiary of Yanolja, and startup MYRO also offer personalized travel planning through AI.

The country's No. 2 telecom company KT Corp. will launch this year AI parenting counseling featuring celebrity psychiatrist Oh Eun-young. The service has the AI version of the shrink conversing with and advising parents through Mi:dm, a hyperscale AI under development by KT.

The top domestic telecom provider SK Telecom Co. on Tuesday unveiled AI that analyzes the CO2 emissions of public transportation and private cars by region. The goal is to commercialize this technology in connection with local government units. 

Late last year, the company launched X Caliber, an AI diagnostic system for dogs that analyzes an X-ray in 15 seconds.

The No. 3 telecom player LG Uplus Corp. is looking for opportunities in entertainment by applying AI to the sports platform Sporki for predicting game scores.

Write to Ju-Hyun Lee at deep@hankyung.com