KT, Amorepacific Launch AI Research Assistant, Cutting 12-Day Task to 5 Minutes

*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 customized news items by reader type.

1. KT, Amorepacific Sharply Cut Research Work with Specialized AI

- Key Summary: KT and Amorepacific have integrated data from Amorepacific's Research & Innovation (R&I) Center to build an AI assistant called 'Lemon.' As a result, research material and regulatory review tasks at the product planning stage that previously took 12 days have been shortened to about five minutes. The time to review the research history of specific ingredients and their applicability to products has also been reduced from six days to about five minutes. Amorepacific plans to expand the adoption of AI agents going forward, supporting researchers in reducing repetitive information-search tasks and focusing on creative research.

2. AI Investment: Timing of Recovery Is Key

- Key Summary: Although Alphabet's second-quarter net profit hit a record high, its share price fell nearly 4% immediately after the announcement. Cloud revenue grew more than 80% and its order backlog reached $514 billion, but the focus fell on the fact that annual capital expenditure (Capex) guidance was raised to $205 billion and quarterly free cash flow (FCF) turned negative. As a result, analysts say the market's evaluation criteria have shifted from the size of profits to the pace of investment recovery. Meanwhile, with return on invested capital (ROIC) forecast to rebound only in 2028, the visibility of the recovery path is expected to become a key evaluation yardstick in the earnings of hyperscalers going forward.

3. AI Safety Verification and Certification: Integrated Framework to Take Effect Within the Year

- Key Summary: An integrated verification and certification system to verify the reliability of domestic AI products and services is set to take effect as early as December this year. The AI Reliability Alliance, an industry-academia-research consultative body, has begun pilot certification for six companies this month, prioritizing high-impact AI with large social influence such as energy, education, and transportation. Currently, more than seven private certification systems, including the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA) and the Korea Testing Laboratory, are competing, but corporate participation has been limited to between 2 and about 50 cases per year. Accordingly, relevant ministries and the Public Procurement Service are jointly reviewing participation incentives such as public procurement incentives and certification cost support.

4. POSCO Future M (003670): "Product Development Period Cut by 50%"

- Key Summary: POSCO Future M is pursuing a 30% increase in productivity and a 50% reduction in product development time by the first half of 2028 through physical AI-based manufacturing innovation. The company presented "game changer of the Battery of Things (BoT) ecosystem" as its digital innovation vision and decided to apply AI across the entire process, from raw material procurement to production and collaboration with client companies. It also plans to double its response speed to clients using quality-analysis robots and to build a facility optimization system to reduce energy consumption. The company said it plans to train AI utilization experts by department within the year, having them lead the discovery and execution of AI projects.

5. Samsung Life Insurance (032830) Pushes to Monetize Health Management Platform 'The Health'

- Key Summary: Samsung Life Insurance will launch a paid service for its health management platform 'The Health' targeting general consumers during the second half of this year. Launched in 2022, The Health had secured about 900,000 users as of the end of last year, and it is set to expand into a comprehensive healthcare platform encompassing health consultations, hospital reservations, nursing and care, and funeral support. Meanwhile, Samsung Life plans to accelerate its push into the business-to-consumer (B2C) market by broadening its service target from policyholders and corporate clients to general consumers. Its linkage with the senior business through nursing care subsidiary Samsung Noble Life is also expected to strengthen.

6. Shinsegae (004170), Expanding into Consumer Goods, Considers Investment in K-Beauty Brand 'APLB'

- Key Summary: Shinsegae Group is pursuing an investment in 'APLB,' a K-beauty brand drawing attention in the U.S. market. According to the investment banking (IB) industry, Shinsegae International (031430) is reviewing an investment of about 15 billion won in UL Corporation, which owns the APLB brand, in a structure that participates in a management acquisition worth about 170 billion won being pursued by private equity fund (PEF) manager L1 Partners. If Shinsegae International finalizes the investment, it is understood that it will secure a right of first refusal for UL Corporation. Meanwhile, Shinsegae has expanded its consumer goods portfolio recently through successive acquisitions of cosmetics brands such as Amuse and CNC International.