Kakao will provide its "AI for Everyone" service through a separate AI platform using KakaoTalk as the main touchpoint. It plans to broaden access from a new web service to options such as LG Uplus phone calls, and expand into a "fully executed agent" that uses AI to carry out everyday services in areas such as public services, finance and healthcare.

Kim Se-woong (김세웅), vice president for Kakao AI Synergy and AI Communication, said at an "AI for Everyone" Kakao consortium group interview held on Sept. 15 at Seoul Finance Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, that the key was building an agentic AI platform rather than repackaging existing services. He said Kakao will build a new web service and use KakaoTalk, phone and web as entry points.

The Kakao consortium is led by Kakao and includes 14 companies and institutions such as LG Uplus, LG AI Research, LG Electronics, LG CNS, Kakao Enterprise, Seoul National University Hospital, Shinhan Bank, Lunit and FuriosaAI.

A core part of the strategy is to build an open ecosystem that also allows AI agents developed by external companies onto the AI for Everyone platform. Consortium members will be the first and second parties to launch services first, while external companies will participate as third parties through an "AI agent marketplace" that Kakao will build as a government project.

Kim said the biggest core of the marketplace was verification. He said Kakao will build a strong verification platform, connect it to AI for Everyone and allow users to use verified agents. He also said Kakao is listing external companies as a separate "ecosystem alliance" as inquiries to participate continue.

The service will start on the web. Kakao plans to use existing KakaoTalk surfaces such as the friends list, chat messages and banners to allow users to enter AI for Everyone. LG Uplus is considering options such as letting users access the service by calling a special number or their own number.

Kim said there is no need to build an app without users. He said Kakao could build an app if the web service works well as a platform-centered approach and user numbers grow. He also left open options such as attaching the AI for Everyone platform to other services such as Government24 or an LG Uplus set-top box.

Kakao and LG Uplus will secure users by using their channels. They set targets of 5 million monthly active users initially, 10 million in 2027 and 30 million over the long term.

Kim said the combined goal was that Kakao can and must achieve about 5 million users. He said it would actively use KakaoTalk and the surfaces and channels held by the LG group rather than cash-based marketing.

The AI for Everyone beta service targets an October release, and Kakao is considering options such as timing the release in consultation with the consortium to coincide with its developer event, "if kakao".

The initial beta will be provided in the form of a basic chatbot. Kim said the beta service was about how to make it run, adding it would offer a basic chatbot service while striving as much as possible to implement a certain level of agentic AI. He said Kakao plans to build a basic agent AI platform within the year.

It will later expand beyond simple Q&A into a "fully executed service" that links user requests to actual execution. It will first push linkages with public services this year and later broaden the scope to finance and healthcare.

Kim said it wants the agent AI to operate and go all the way, rather than leaving users to handle what comes next after receiving an answer. He said if it does not go all the way, it will continue through means such as notification messages, callbacks, or LG Uplus text messages.

LG Uplus to integrate operation of Kanana, K-EXAONE multimodels and GPUs

In AI for Everyone, Kakao will be responsible for the application and service platform, while LG Uplus will handle integrated operation of models and GPUs.

Ko Jin-tae (고진태), head of the LG Uplus enterprise division, said Kakao was strong on the application layer and LG Uplus took charge of overall integrated operation for models and GPUs. He said it would be able to serve well with capabilities built up while providing Ixio and AI enterprise services.

The AI models will be operated mainly around 2 models in Kakao's "Kanana" family and LG AI Research's "K-EXAONE" and "EXAONE 4.5". There are no plans so far to use foreign models.

Ko said models used within the group for K-EXAONE were made significantly for B2B use and were used to answering even very simple questions in an academic way. He said it was true they had been trained less on learning and training for usage patterns and expectations of the general public. He said it plans to supplement the model through additional training suited to a KakaoTalk-based public service.

For model serving, it will prioritize actual service quality and response speed. It will optimize the model's processing performance and GPU resources together.

Kim said when thinking about the service, the service department would say it could not be used if done a certain way, and those requests would be passed down to the model. He said it would be in the sense of not using a model if it did not meet certain specifications.

He added that while it would not use foreign models, it could use an Upstage open-weight model if it is better. He said in the end the focus is on providing the service.

The AI for Everyone platform also aligns with Kakao's AI strategy pursued separately from the government project. Kim said Kakao had said it would do it even if it fell through and had no choice, adding that it was the direction it needs to move toward.