SKT 'A.Dot' Started Talking... "Would You Like to Look Up at the Sky Now?"

App for Enjoying Emotional Conversations, Utilizing Large Language Models for Natural Language Dialogue
Incorporating AI Ethics Concepts to Control Conversations Related to Hate Speech and Prohibited Drugs

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] "Shall we take a moment to look up at the sky? The sky is really beautiful~"

When I opened SK Telecom's artificial intelligence (AI) service A. (A-dot) application, a character with round, bright eyes greeted me first. After the character said hello, the background changed to one with the sky. I tried out the A-dot service introduced this year.

In A-dot, users can customize the character’s appearance and voice themselves. Among five basic user settings, it is possible to choose the character’s appearance and set the character’s traits such as speech style (formal or informal), name, and voice. Users can also purchase items like outfits, shoes, and accessories in the A-dot internal store to add to their character.

A-dot applies natural language processing and sentiment analysis technologies that enable conversations with real people, like an AI chatbot. When you say "I’m having a hard time," it replies, "Why, is something wrong?" When you say "Comfort me," it responds, "I hope you remember that after winter, spring always comes. Difficult times will surely pass," comforting the user. SKT developed a Korean-specialized version of the large language model (GPT-3), which is currently the most advanced conversational language model. Based on this, A-dot converses with users, handles tasks requested by users, and strengthens relationships.

A-dot also provides lifestyle functions such as schedule management, making phone calls, and handling problem messages, as well as music and movie recommendations, weather and stock checks, and other phone features. When asked, "Do I have a schedule tomorrow?" it replies, "You have one schedule tomorrow." When the user says, "I’m bored," it suggests, "If you’re bored, how about talking with me or watching a movie on Wavve?" and introduces related services in a natural conversational flow.

It also responded more quickly than expected to ethical issues raised in AI services. When the word "drug" came up, it immediately cut off the conversation saying, "Wait a moment, this seems like a dangerous situation." When the word "hate" appeared, it changed the subject by saying, "Let’s talk about something else."

Recently, content features were added. The 'A-dot TV' allows users to enjoy personalized content for free without ads, and the 'A-dot Game' feature lets users play games without separate downloads. In the TV feature, users do not need to search for content themselves as recommendations are provided first. It consists of 25 channels centered on 'My Channel,' which shows personalized recommended content, including entertainment, movies, news, kids, and documentaries. Various content was played, from the entertainment show "Delicious Guys" to the movie "The Angry Bull," and the kids’ show "Baby Shark Oli Tturu Tturu." However, there was no search function to directly look for desired content.

Twenty-six casual games are also offered. Simple and easy games such as Space Balls, Remember the Order, Find the Different Size, Arithmetic Quiz, and Whack-a-Mole dominate. Since there is no need to download and there are no ads, it is convenient. Being free is also an advantage. Additionally, playing games rewards users with points called 'Con,' which can be used to buy A-dot character items.

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