On the 19th, Kakao announced that it has formed a consortium with 14 companies and institutional investors, including LG U+, LG AI Research Institute, LG Electronics, and LG CNS, to participate in the Ministry of Science and ICT's "Universal Utilization Support for All Citizens' AI Services (AI for Everyone)" project.
This consortium, led by Kakao as the host company and with LG U+ as a core participant, is significant because it connects specialized expertise in various fields—such as self-developed AI models, platforms connected to citizens' daily lives, large-scale service verification based on telecommunications, devices, public system integration, and AI infrastructure—into a single cooperative framework.
Kakao possesses experience in stably operating digital touchpoints widely connected to citizens' daily lives around KakaoTalk, along with massive traffic over the long term. It has also equipped itself with its self-developed AI model "Kanana" and AI safety technology capabilities, as well as the "AI National Secretary" unveiled together with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Based on this, it plans to oversee the overall collaboration framework of the consortium and coordinate the technologies and expertise of various participating companies.
The four LG-affiliated companies cooperating as core participants are responsible for key pillars ranging from AI models to demonstration projects and devices. LG U+ is in charge of demonstrating large-scale usage environments and quality verification based on its customer touchpoint capabilities rooted in telecommunications. The LG AI Research Institute is responsible for providing, advancing, and verifying the safety of the AI model "K-Exaone." LG Electronics adds capabilities for connecting various devices in living spaces, while LG CNS provides capabilities for public system and data integration as well as system integration. Kakao Enterprise, a subsidiary of Kakao, supports service stability based on its AI infrastructure and platform capabilities.
In addition, specialized companies from various fields such as healthcare, finance, education, employment, caregiving, data, and semiconductors are joining to support the implementation of AI services that can be utilized across all aspects of citizens' daily lives.
This consortium aligns with the spirit of "AI for Everyone," which holds that anyone should be able to easily use AI regardless of region, age, income, or digital capability. Based on Kakao's broad user touchpoints, it plans to lower the entry barriers to AI utilization and verify service quality in actual large-scale usage environments through the technical capabilities of participating companies including LG U+.
Kim Se-woong, Kakao AI Synergy Performance Leader, stated, "This consortium is a cooperative framework that brings together the intent and capabilities to enable all citizens to easily discover and use AI services within their daily environments," adding, "We plan to fulfill our responsibility in creating AI services that anyone can trust and use alongside participating companies from various fields possessing their own expertise."
in TECH
