KT "Due to COVID-19 Impact... AI Speaker Usage Increased by 38%"

KT GiGA Genie Usage Increased by 38% Compared to Q4

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), the number of 'homebodies' has increased, leading to a surge in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) speakers. The use of AI devices for grocery shopping or home training has also significantly increased.

According to KT on the 1st, the total number of voice commands for Giga Genie in the first quarter of this year increased by 38% compared to the fourth quarter of last year. KT analyzed that the increase in Giga Genie service usage was due to the lifestyle of 'social distancing' becoming routine amid the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in people refraining from going out and spending more time at home.

With school openings delayed due to COVID-19, usage of kids and game services such as Pinkfong Praise (333%), multiplication table practice (277%), word chain game (82%), and proverb quizzes (81%) saw a sharp increase. Additionally, interest in COVID-19 led to a 135% rise in news service voice commands. TV viewing also increased; voice commands for searching or playing real-time channels via Giga Genie rose by 43%, and those for searching or playing video on demand (VOD) increased by 53%.

Looking at voice command volumes by category, in cooking, 'Baek Jong-won recipes' and 'Kim Soo-mi recipes' were the favorite cooking methods among Giga Genie users. The items most frequently purchased through the Giga Genie grocery shopping service were ramen, snacks, rice, and tofu, in that order. Due to the surge in mask demand amid COVID-19, masks, which were not ranked in the previous quarter, took 4th place. Using the Giga Genie grocery shopping service allows users to conveniently order by voice and receive fresh food or daily necessities via same-day delivery. In the home training category, the most frequent voice commands were for yoga, abdomen, diet, 10 minutes, and lower body exercises.

Kim Chae-hee, Executive Director of KT AI/Big Data Business Division, said, “In response to the increased time spent at home due to COVID-19, we have strengthened Giga Genie Kids, meditation, and home training services,” adding, “KT will continue to introduce AI services that customers need in line with changes in lifestyle trends.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.