"Build me a commercial district analysis system to help open new dealerships in the Seoul area."
When an employee spoke these words on Tuesday at the "KT Innovation Hub" inside KT's West building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, an artificial intelligence (AI) agent named "Genie" on the display posed a few questions and then immediately began developing a demo application. Just minutes later, a dashboard and analysis report were completed, ranking candidate sites for new stores on a map based on foot traffic, KT's market share, and competitors' locations.
KT has established a field-centered support system that helps companies quickly turn their AX (AI transformation) ideas into prototypes and carry them through to commercialization. The company plans to actively expand its B2B AX business by leveraging KT's technological capabilities and AX know-how.
The "KT Innovation Hub," which KT opened to reporters that day, is a kind of base camp where client companies and KT engineers collaborate to identify AX tasks together and verify everything from prototype production to commercialization. Jeon Seung-rok, head of KT's AX Strategy Division, explained, "Since opening last October, about 200 companies have visited, and more than 30 client firms are currently moving forward with actual AX adoption."
When a client company presents its desired AX requirements in natural language here, the AI immediately designs key performance indicators (KPIs) and system architecture. Afterward, multiple AI agents simultaneously perform everything automatically, from front-end and back-end development to data collection, UI/UX design, and quality assurance (QA). Kim Chang-soo, leader of KT's AX Engineering Team 1, explained, "In three to five minutes, we can quickly complete a minimum viable product (MVP) that actually works." During this process, a small organization called the "AX Squad," composed of KT consulting and development staff, is deployed to help client companies carry out their AX tasks for six weeks.
The cost advantages are also clear. The cost incurred during the MVP creation process is around 1,000 to 1,500 won, and even that is covered by KT. Executive Director Jeon explained, "If a company separately conducts a proof of concept (PoC) and similar steps, it costs at least 50 million to 100 million won," adding, "This is a program that minimizes the time and financial costs for companies in the AX process."
KT has also secured flexibility and scalability by leveraging its technological capabilities. Its in-house "KT AX Harness" technology is not bound to a specific AI model and allows the building of an operating environment that can use various models tailored to customer needs. In addition, KT has built FDE development tools that modularize frequently used functions such as document image analysis and real-time knowledge search, ensuring quality and operational consistency.
KT plans to grow its AX demonstration program, along with its AI data centers (AIDC), into a new revenue source for its B2B division. Jeon, the division head, said, "Monetization of the AX business has already begun," adding, "Within three years, as AIDC construction and the expansion of KT's AI platform align, the pace of growth will accelerate further."
