A consortium led by Kakao (035720) with LG Uplus (032640) as a core partner has been selected to carry out the Ministry of Science and ICT's project to support universal use of artificial intelligence services by all citizens, known as "AI for All."
Kakao said on the 28th that it plans to pool the technology and service capabilities of the consortium partners to build services that allow anyone to use AI easily and conveniently in daily life.
Fourteen companies and institutions are taking part in the project, including LG Uplus, LG AI Research, LG Electronics, LG CNS, Kakao Enterprise, Seoul National University Hospital, Shinhan Bank, Lunit, Wonderful Platform, Workspear, Jobis & Villains, Day1Company, Crowdworks and FuriosaAI.
The consortium plans to provide AI services that combine expertise in medicine, finance, taxation, education, employment and care, drawing on its own AI models, telecom and device infrastructure, and its ability to link with public systems.
The consortium will build the "AI for All" service around KakaoTalk and voice-call AI as points of access. The service will consist of a general-purpose AI chatbot, a public-sector AI agent and AI agents specialized by field, with the goal of connecting them into a single seamless flow to lower barriers to using AI.
The service will run on in-house AI models including LG AI Research's K-EXAONE and Kakao's Kanana, and will undergo rigorous verification of quality and safety. The consortium will also ensure accessibility for older adults, people with disabilities and other groups at risk of digital exclusion so that anyone can use the service without discrimination.
The consortium plans to release a beta version in September, then gather and incorporate feedback and use cases from users to improve the service. It will then launch the full service within this year, centered on features that have been verified.
"The core of this service is to let people encounter AI easily through the KakaoTalk platform that is familiar to the entire population, and to carry through the various tasks people need in daily life to completion, going beyond simple information searches," said Kim Se-woong, AI synergy performance leader at Kakao. "We will work with our consortium partners to build the foundation for a nationwide AI service that anyone can use with ease."
"Through AI for All, we will provide an environment where people can use AI with a single phone call, without installing an app or signing up separately, and we will spread the benefits of AI to older adults and groups at risk of digital exclusion through our nationwide offline stores and telecom infrastructure," said Ko Jin-tae, head of enterprise strategy at LG Uplus. "We will fulfill our role and responsibility as a core partner by bringing together the capabilities of Kakao and the LG Group to help invigorate the domestic AI ecosystem."
