Yongin: Kakao Corp. announced that the latest version of ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, will be available on its mobile chat app KakaoTalk starting next month. The feature is eagerly anticipated by nearly 50 million users. Kakao CEO Chung Shin-a revealed this development during a keynote speech at the company's annual developers conference in Yongin, located on the outskirts of Seoul.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the integration of ChatGPT into KakaoTalk is part of Kakao's strategy to lower the entry barrier to artificial intelligence by merging global AI services with local users. This move follows a partnership formed with OpenAI in February to incorporate ChatGPT into Kakao's AI offerings, aligning with its broader strategy to join a global AI alliance amid growing market competition.
KakaoTalk users will soon be able to access the latest GPT-5 model, enabling them to share AI-generated conversations, images, and text with friends in real time. ChatGPT will also be integrated into Kakao's other services, including KakaoTalk Gift, Kakao Map, and KakaoTalk Reservation, through its agentic AI platform, Kakao Agent. Kakao plans to expand Kakao Agent through further partnerships with public institutions and other companies to build an extended AI service ecosystem.
Oliver Jay, the international managing director at OpenAI, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, emphasizing its potential to embed AI into the daily lives of Koreans. Jay highlighted the opportunity for further integration across Kakao's platforms and the continued support of Korean and Kakao's AI journey on behalf of OpenAI.
Amid concerns over potential unauthorized use of private data, Kakao emphasized that chat data from KakaoTalk will not be used to train ChatGPT. Additionally, the company unveiled significant user interface changes for KakaoTalk, marking its most extensive overhaul in 15 years as it transitions from a simple messaging app to a more comprehensive social media platform.
The new UI will allow users to categorize and group chat rooms, preview messages without entering rooms, and revise sent messages. Kakao also plans to integrate its homegrown AI agent, Kanana, into KakaoTalk to offer autonomous services, such as daily scheduling, conversation summarization, web searches, and reservations. Kanana will assist users in creating and sharing short-form content on KakaoTalk.
Chung noted that these changes represent an unprecedented evolution in KakaoTalk's history, reflecting the company's commitment to responding to user feedback and adapting to a changing landscape.