Shinsegae Group is fleshing out its AI strategy with global companies. With OpenAI, it is building AI commerce. With ReflectionAI, it is exploring an AI infrastructure business.

Shinsegae Group signed a memorandum of understanding on April 6 with OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT, for cooperation on an AI commerce business. It is the first domestic retailer to do so.

The partnership has two tracks. First, it will build a ChatGPT-based shopping agent in the E-Mart app. The development method has not been decided, but a likely approach is to use the ChatGPT software development kit to build the agent in the app. It will learn customer purchase patterns to suggest tailored shopping lists and support offline-linked functions such as automatic parking registration. The goal is to add it within this year.

The other track is to link Shinsegae Group products to ChatGPT shopping. The goal is to implement a “complete AI commerce” system covering search, payment and delivery by 2027. The payment method is likely to be handled in Shinsegae Group’s own app. OpenAI previously introduced in-ChatGPT payments, or Instant Checkout, in a partnership with Walmart, but withdrew after failing to deliver clear results. Shinsegae Group plans to design the technical structure so customer information is not used to train OpenAI models.

A Shinsegae Group official said customers who mainly use the E-Mart app will use an AI shopping agent inside the app, while ChatGPT users will use E-Mart shopping functions on the ChatGPT platform. The official said Shinsegae Group plans to securely control and manage key data, including personal and payment information.

An OpenAI Korea official said Shinsegae has a wide range of channels connected to everyday consumption, such as E-Mart, Starbucks, SSG.com and Gmarket, making it a different model from Walmart in that ordinary consumers can experience AI convenience across their consumption lives. The official said South Korea could be a good use case for AI commerce.

Shinsegae Group is also exploring an expansion into cloud services. On March 17, it signed an MOU with U.S.-based ReflectionAI to build a 250-megawatt AI data centre in South Korea. The investment is expected to be at least 10 trillion won. It is the first case of the Trump administration’s “AI export programme,” which exports AI technology to allies, and it is the largest among data centres planned to be built in South Korea. Shinsegae will secure the site and handle construction, while ReflectionAI will take charge of design and operations. They aim to establish a joint venture within this year and start construction before 2030.

One reason for choosing ReflectionAI as a partner is its “open weights” approach. Unlike closed models such as ChatGPT, it allows users to download weight files and operate them independently in their own data centres. Because it does not go through external servers, the risk of data leaks is lower, and users can fine-tune models directly to fit work and data characteristics. It is explained that industries with strict security requirements, such as finance, healthcare and the public sector, could be key customers.

A Shinsegae Group official said it plans to build an AI environment where users can tune systems for their purposes and directly control data using ReflectionAI’s open-weight model. The official said the group plans to foster it as a new growth engine by providing AI infrastructure that can be used by various customers, including companies and institutions.