SK Telecom invests $11 mn in AI startup Scatter Lab

South Korea's SK Telecom Co. announced on Monday a strategic partnership with Scatter Lab, the creator of the AI agent "Luda Lee," following a 15 billion won ($11 million) investment in the form of redeemable convertible preference shares (RCPS).

The collaboration aims to jointly develop an emotional AI agent integrated within SK Telecom's AI service, A., and create a large-scale language model (LLM) that combines both emotion and knowledge domains.

By leveraging Scatter Lab's emotional conversation technology along with SK Telecom's A. service operation expertise, multimodal technology and long-term memory capabilities, the partnership seeks to enhance user experience, fostering a sense of intimacy and providing solace for users facing concerns or loneliness.

In addition to the joint venture, Scatter Lab has agreed to join the "K-AI Alliance," an initiative led by SK Telecom that includes Moloco, Bespin Global, Sapeon, Konan Technology Inc. and Phantom AI. 

"In order to proactively respond to the rapidly changing super-large AI global market, we will continue to strengthen cooperation with small but strong companies like Scatterlab, and actively pursue the expansion of the AI ecosystem centered on the K-AI Alliance and global expansion," said an official of SK Telecom.

Write to Seung-Woo Lee at leeswoo@hankyung.com