Anthropic, OpenAI Capture 89% of Paid AI Market

*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an "AI-based customized news recommendation and summary service" developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six tailored news items for each reader type.

1. Anthropic, OpenAI Dominate 89%…Musk's xAI Doesn't Even Make Top 5

- Key Summary: Anthropic and OpenAI together account for 89% of the paid AI app market. The annualized combined revenue of 34 major unlisted startups operating paid AI services reached $80 billion (about 120 trillion won), surging 112% from six months earlier. By company, OpenAI recorded $55 billion and Anthropic $15 billion. Meanwhile, major venture capital firms including Sequoia Capital and Founders Fund are simultaneously investing in both companies, employing a "hedging strategy" that further entrenches the oligopoly. Ahead of year-end IPOs, the two companies are also accelerating profitability improvements, raising token unit prices for new models by up to two-fold.

2. Ending 'Receipt Reconciliation'…Mastercard, GoWid Launch Pre-Control Corporate Expense Management Service

- Key Summary: Mastercard and Korean B2B fintech company GoWid will partner to launch the country's first Virtual Card Number (VCN)-based corporate expense management service in the second half of this year. The service applies Mastercard's Business Payment Control (BPC) technology, allowing companies to issue single-use virtual card numbers tailored to transaction purposes and pre-set specific merchants, usage periods, and payment limits. Project names and department information are automatically tagged at the time of payment, simplifying accounting, while integration with ERP systems can also raise the level of automation. GoWid aims to build a comprehensive corporate expense management platform integrating VCN and physical cards by 2027.

3. Used in Real Medical, Care Settings…'K-AI Humanoid' Coming

- Key Summary: The Ministry of Science and ICT has launched the "K-AI Humanoid Platform" development project with the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) as the lead organization, joined by 11 institutions including LG Electronics (066570) and WIRobotics, with total investment of 50.4 billion won, including 35.4 billion won in government funding and 15 billion won from the private sector. Currently, domestic researchers rely on foreign platforms such as China's Unitree G1, with publicly disclosed humanoids showing task completion rates of around 30%. Accordingly, the project targets developing by 2030 a packaged product capable of operating 8 hours a day for a full month with a task completion rate exceeding 90%. The plan also includes producing more than 20 humanoid robots usable in multi-user residential facilities such as hospitals and welfare facilities, reducing dependence on foreign platforms and laying the foundation for domestic industry self-reliance.

4. LG Robots to Work at Kurly Logistics Centers

- Key Summary: LG CNS has signed an MOU with Kurly for "humanoid technology validation (PoC) for smart logistics center advancement," beginning preliminary validation work to deploy humanoid robots at logistics centers in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, and Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. The PoC will utilize LG CNS's robot learning and operation platform "PhysicalWorks" to analyze improvements in task accuracy, execution speed, and efficiency, verifying the automation potential of simple repetitive tasks such as goods transportation, picking, sorting, and packaging. Meanwhile, Kurly has operated a third-party logistics (3PL) business storing and delivering goods for external companies since 2019, and last year began handling dawn delivery of Naver Smart Store products, expanding its 3PL business. The structure aims to offset cost burdens from external business expansion by improving return on investment (ROI) through robot automation.

5. Login, Payment, Content Production…Naver Strengthens Collaboration with Nexon

- Key Summary: Naver and Nexon are tearing down barriers between platforms to expand their content and payment ecosystems, unveiling on the 18th a Naver account conversion service for Nexon users and a new project called 'N Connect.' Through this integration, Nexon users aged 14 and over can log in with their Naver ID and pay for in-game premium items via Naver Pay (Npay), while existing play records remain intact. In addition, a dedicated 'Content Support Center' will be established through N Connect to support content creation based on Nexon intellectual property (IP) on Naver's live streaming platform 'Chzzk.' N Connect will operate as a preseason until September 22 before entering its regular season in October, with joint marketing also anticipated between Naver, which holds broadcasting rights to the 2026 and 2030 World Cups, and Nexon, which operates the soccer game 'FC Online.'

6. 'Survival Consumption' on the Other Side of Luxury Parties…'K-Shaped' Polarization Continues

- Key Summary: As premium consumption rises while "survival consumption" aimed at minimizing spending also spreads, consumption polarization is becoming pronounced. According to the Bank of Korea's Consumer Survey, the Consumer Sentiment Index for spending expectations of households earning less than 1 million won monthly was 95, while that of households earning over 5 million won was 111, showing a clear gap. Accordingly, Emart Traders surpassed 1 trillion won in quarterly sales for the first time in Q1, while Daiso's Q1 cosmetics and clothing-related purchases rose 30% and 180%, respectively, year-on-year. Sales of private-brand (PB) products at convenience stores CU and GS25 also rose 15% and 22% year-on-year, with strong performance continuing across recession-type consumption channels.