Korea to provide free AI agents for all citizens through messenger, texts

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon speaks during a press briefing on the “AI for All” project at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Science and ICT

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the operators of the “AI for All” project held a press briefing on Friday and outlined their service plans. The programs will enter beta testing next month before their official launch later this year. The three operators are consortiums each led by telecom operators SK Telecom and KT, along with mobile messenger firm Kakao.

“Our ultimate goal is to have new homegrown AI services blend naturally into people’s daily lives,” Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon said. “What matters most is how easily people can access the services, how often they use the services and how much the services actually help in everyday life.”

A consortium led by Kakao will team up with LG Group, using KakaoTalk messenger as the entry point for its AI service. Based on AI models such as Kakao’s Kanana and LG’s EXAONE, the consortium will offer agent services that can handle tasks ranging from information searches to reservations, payments and other tasks within a single conversation.

Kakao said the service will not require installing a separate app or learning a new interface. The company is targeting 5 million monthly active users by December and plans to expand its user base to 10 million by the end of 2027.

The KT consortium unveiled Ieum, an integrated service that combines a general-purpose AI agent powered by real-time search and services in areas including public services, education, finance and shopping.

KT said it will operate various homegrown AI models and infrastructure assets, including graphics processing units and neural processing units, through its token factory. Through this, the company said it will expand the service into a marketplace and growth platform for Korea’s AI ecosystem.

The SK Telecom consortium said it will introduce phone- and text-based agents so that people who have difficulty using mobile apps or web services can access the services more easily. Its AI services will handle various processes including authentication, public service applications and payments on behalf of users, rather than simply answering questions.

“The government will spare no effort to help AI for all become Korea’s flagship AI service,” Bae said. “I ask all participants to work together toward the launch later this year so that the service can bring greater convenience to people’s daily lives while opening up a new domestic AI market for businesses.”

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