Jeong Shin-ah, CEO of Kakao, shakes hands with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, during a press conference held at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of February 4. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s tech giant Kakao and OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, have announced a strategic partnership to integrate OpenAI’s advanced artificial intelligence technology into Kakao’s services and collaborate on new AI-driven products.
Kakao CEO Jeong Shin-ah and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman unveiled the agreement during a joint press conference on February 4 at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul. The collaboration marks OpenAI’s first strategic alliance with a South Korean company.
“Kakao aims to secure the best AI technology to make all imaginable AI-era services a reality, and we seek to work with the best partners to achieve this,” said Jeong. “We are pleased to share this strategic partnership.”
Jeong emphasized that Kakao will integrate ChatGPT technology across various projects, including its AI-powered assistant service, Kanana. “This partnership goes beyond leveraging the latest technology—we are actively developing joint products to benefit Kakao’s 50 million users,” she added.
“Jeong Shin-ah, CEO of Kakao, speaks at a press conference held at The Plaza Hotel in Seoul on the morning of February 4. (Yonhap)
Discussions between the two companies began in September 2024, based on their shared vision of making AI services widely accessible. As part of the agreement, Kakao will integrate OpenAI’s latest AI technology into key services such as KakaoTalk and Kanana via OpenAI’s API.
To accelerate its transition into an ‘AI-native company,’ Kakao also plans to implement ChatGPT Enterprise, OpenAI’s enterprise-grade AI solution.
Kakao has long adopted a ‘model orchestration’ strategy—opting to utilize a diverse range of AI models rather than developing its own large-scale language models. The company stated that its collaboration with OpenAI will further solidify this approach by integrating advanced AI technologies selectively to enhance its services.
The two firms also plan to jointly develop customized AI services tailored for South Korean users, leveraging Kakao’s deep understanding of local consumer behavior and OpenAI’s cutting-edge technology.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends Kakao Media Day at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the morning of February 4. (Yonhap)
“Kakao has a deep understanding of how technology enhances daily life and has consistently provided innovative experiences to users,” Altman said. “We are excited to collaborate with Kakao to bring advanced AI capabilities to millions of users and redefine how people communicate and connect through Kakao’s services.”
Jeong echoed this enthusiasm, stating, “We have high expectations for our strategic partnership with OpenAI, a global leader in AI technology. This alliance will not only refine our orchestration strategy but also serve as a pivotal step in bringing the future closer to our users.”
With this landmark collaboration, Kakao is poised to enhance its AI ecosystem and further cement its position as a leading AI-powered platform in South Korea.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
