SKT, Samsung, and Kakao Unite as No.1s... 'AI Super Collaboration' Start Against the COVID Pandemic (Comprehensive)

'Pandemic Overcoming AI' Joint Development, Scheduled for Release in the First Half of Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Seulgina Jo] The three national representative ICT companies?SK Telecom, Samsung Electronics, and Kakao?have decided to jointly develop artificial intelligence (AI) to overcome the pandemic, reflecting the serious impact that the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is having on the country. As the top operators in their respective fields, leading domestic mobile communications, smart devices, and messenger platforms, their super (超) collaboration is beginning to bear tangible results, and it is expected to accelerate the growth of the domestic AI ecosystem in the future.

◆ AI Becomes the Sentinel Against COVID-19

According to SK Telecom on the 22nd, the three companies engaged in super collaboration first focused on AI technology for the pandemic era. Judging that COVID-19, which has spread since the beginning of the year, is seriously affecting the national economy and society, they set AI development for early COVID-19 containment and public interest as their first task.

The 'Pandemic Overcoming AI,' to be unveiled in the first half of next year, is characterized by its ability to predict and analyze COVID-19 risk areas and user behavior. For example, if a confirmed case is reported at Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station, the AI analyzes data showing that 20% of the 800 floating population at that time moved to Yeoksam-dong, classifying Euljiro 1(il)-ga as high risk and Yeoksam-dong as medium risk. Based on this, the AI recommends users commuting through Euljiro 1(il)-ga to use private vehicles and advises users who have reserved tickets at Yeoksam-dong cinemas to practice social distancing.

In this process, the AI refines risk analysis by region using floating population big data and public disaster information, and provides predictive information to users based on their individual schedules recorded on smartphones, flight tickets, performance and accommodation reservations, and usual movement paths. Beyond COVID-19 confirmed cases, in emergencies such as typhoons or other disasters, the AI assistant can request emergency rescue and transmit real-time health status, including heart rate, to medical institutions via smartwatches.

The three companies plan to evolve the AI to analyze related news and enable Q&A capabilities. Core functions and technologies will be developed in API form and made available to developers, research institutions, and companies. By maximizing public interest, it is expected to lead to the expansion of the domestic AI ecosystem. Yoo Young-sang, head of SK Telecom's MNO business, emphasized, "The collaboration among the three companies will not only be an important momentum for Korea to secure global AI leadership but also contribute to building a social safety net in the Republic of Korea."

Seung-ki Park, CEO of Kakao Brain (left in the photo), Yoon Kim, CTO of SK Telecom, and Kyung-gu Woo, Executive Director of the AI Team at Samsung Electronics Wireless Business Division, are pledging to collaborate on joint AI development in the pandemic era at the SK Telecom Pangyo office on the morning of the 22nd.

◆ Top Operators Unite... Results After About a Year Since Super Collaboration Proposal

The AI super collaboration among the three companies began in January this year at CES 2020, the world's largest IT exhibition held in Las Vegas, USA, when Park Jung-ho, CEO of SK Telecom, stated, "To gain leadership in the global AI war, cooperation among domestic companies is needed rather than competition." The companies he mentioned as targets for AI super collaboration were Samsung Electronics and Kakao.

The unprecedented super collaboration among the top operators in each field was driven by the sense of crisis that domestic companies could never compete against global ICT giants such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple (GAFA) by fighting individually. The long-held belief of the three companies that social problems can be solved and new value created through ICT new technologies also formed the foundation for the fruits of super collaboration. In particular, the three companies are confident that combining their strengths in mobile communications, smart devices, and messenger platforms, along with years of AI technology advancement, can elevate domestic AI technology to a world-class level in a short period.

In March, a joint working group among the three companies was formed, and CTO-level workshops were held regularly every two weeks. Online meetings of practical planning and development teams were frequently conducted to specify core collaboration tasks and development directions. Discussions that had been taking place quietly for nearly a year since the super collaboration declaration are now being unveiled.

Starting with the pandemic overcoming AI, the three companies will pool their core competencies to jointly promote ▲ future AI technology development ▲ research on AI utilization to solve social challenges ▲ expansion of AI technology base. While continuing AI research cooperation to address social challenges ranging from aging to infectious diseases, they are open to collaboration possibilities across all ICT sectors. The 'AI Research and Development (R&D) Council,' composed of CTOs from the three companies, has also opened the door for participation by other domestic operators. Plans to expand the scale to a global AI alliance level are also under consideration.

Samsung Electronics President No Tae-moon added, "Starting with solving the social challenge of overcoming the pandemic, this project will contribute to the domestic AI ecosystem in the long term by providing foundational technology components widely usable in industry and academia." Kakao CEO Yeo Min-soo emphasized, "We will continue to contribute to solving social problems through technology."

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