SKT and Perplexity Join Forces to Revolutionize AI⁢ Search

SK Telecom (CEO Yoo ⁣Young-sang)⁢ and US-based AI unicorn Perplexity have announced‌ a strategic partnership to lead the paradigm shift from traditional keyword search to conversational AI search.

Yoo Young-sang,⁢ CEO of SKT (left), and ​Aravind Srinivas, CEO ⁣of Perplexity, shaking hands

Perplexity, a US-based AI startup founded in 2022 by Aravind Srinivas, an ⁢OpenAI‌ alumnus, provides a conversational search ⁤engine​ service based on generative AI. ⁢The company has been recognized for its‍ innovative technology, taking first place overall ‍in the chatbot usability evaluation (The⁤ Great AI Chatbot Challenge) announced by the Wall Street Journal in May of this ⁤year.

Perplexity to Invest‌ in‌ SKT​ AI Subsidiary… SKT to⁢ Introduce ​Beta Version of ‘AI Agent’ to US Market

Following​ SKT’s $10 ‌million investment ‍in Perplexity last June, Perplexity is also planning to invest in SKT’s subsidiary⁤ ‘Global AI Platform Corporation (GAP ⁤Co.; Global ⁢AI Plat-form Co.)’ located in Silicon Valley.

The ‍mutual investment between the two companies is also significant⁤ in that it encompasses not only⁢ AI business and services but ⁢also ‌technological cooperation.

GAP Co. is focusing ⁤on the development and business promotion of ​global ‘AI ​Agents’ (hereinafter referred to as PAA;‍ Personal ⁤AI Agents) in the global AI market.

SKT and GAP Co. are developing PAA with the goal ⁢of launching a beta version in ⁤the U.S. market within the year, ‌and Perplexity ​is working with PAA as a search partner.

‘Adot’, which has ​surpassed 5 million subscribers, begins to monetize in earnest… ⁣Evolving into a true‍ ‘personal‌ assistant’ that performs tasks on⁣ its ‍own without orders

As⁤ of the end of ‍August, Adot surpassed 5‌ million subscribers. It has been steadily increasing from ​around ‌3.2 million ⁤at the end of last year, ⁢establishing itself as ‍Korea’s leading AI personal⁤ assistant.

On August 26, SKT completely revamped Adot and installed Perplexity’s AI search engine along with the existing multi-LLMs such as ChatGPT,⁣ Claude, and AdotX, and the market response‌ has been positive.

SKT has decided to jointly develop an AI search engine optimized for Korea with Perplexity to enhance⁢ the Adot‌ service. SKT ⁣will provide Korean language data and cultural content, and Perplexity will be in charge of fine-tuning the search engine, and ‌will work on enhancing the AI ​​search service,⁢ with search optimized for the domestic ‍Internet search environment⁢ and culture.

In addition, ⁢a promotion is being offered where all SKT customers can use the paid search service ‘Perplexity Pro’ (valued at approximately 290,000 won per year)⁤ provided by Perplexity on mobile or PC for free for one year.

According to‌ the global⁣ market research​ firm Market and ⁣Market, the conversational AI market size is ​expected ​to continue to grow at an average annual ⁣growth rate of‌ 24.9%‌ until 2030. It is expected⁢ to grow from​ USD 13.2 billion (KRW 17.5 trillion) in 2024 to USD 49.9 billion (KRW 66 trillion) ⁤in 2030.

CEO Yoo Young-sang said, “As the recent ​rapid development of AI is shaking up the ⁢global⁢ search market landscape, the ‍investment and service partnership‍ with Perplexity is expected to greatly contribute⁤ to SKT’s securing leadership in the AI ​​ecosystem‍ by enhancing its AI search competitiveness.”