Kakao is stepping up efforts to expand an artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem linked to KakaoTalk, using creative ideas from external developers.

Kakao said on Tuesday it will hold the 'Agentic Player 10' competition to invigorate the agentic AI ecosystem and discover creative services.

The biggest feature of the event is that participants' outputs will run on the country's main messenger app. If a participant's MCP server passes the preliminaries and ranks among the top 20 teams, the service will be shown directly to KakaoTalk users through 'Kakao Tools'. That means participants can receive feedback from real users, beyond simply showcasing technology.

Anyone interested in AI technology can apply, including individual developers, startups and university students. Applications are open through July 14, and entrants register their outputs on PlayMCP.

The 20 services that advance to the finals are set to receive direct user voting for one month from Aug. 31 to Sept. 28. After adding expert judging, Kakao plans to announce the final 10 teams on Oct. 23 at the Kakao AI Campus.

The competition, which follows last year's 'MCP Player 10', has expanded with the participation of the Ministry of Science and ICT. The top grand prize winner will receive a minister's award and 10 million won in prize money. Gold prizes for 2 teams and silver prizes for 7 teams will receive 5 million won and 1 million won, respectively.

A Kakao official said, "Agentic Player 10 is an opportunity for participants to present their own original AI services to KakaoTalk users," and added, "We look forward to strong interest and participation from various AI players with creative ideas and development capabilities."