SK Telecom to triple investment in AI

SK Telecom plans to triple its investment in artificial intelligence (AI) over the next five years, with a focus on its AI assistant A dot. The company aims to become a market leader in the AI sector.

SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang speaks at a press event to introduce the company's AI business strategy at its headquarters in Jung District, central Seoul, on Tuesday. [SK TELECOM]

SK Telecom, Korea's largest mobile carrier, will triple its investment in artificial intelligence, pivoting away from its mainstay telecommunications business toward the hyped technology.

Exact numbers were not given, but SK Telecom will increase the proportion of investment in AI to take up 33 percent of the total over the next five-year period. From 2019 to 2023, the figure was 12 percent.

The company's target annual revenue was set to reach 25 trillion won ($18.5 billion) by 2028.

SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang says the company’s competitive edge in the AI realm is three-pronged: its Korean large language model A dot, urban air mobility (UAM) and AI health care.

Ryu gave a particular emphasis to A dot, with a goal to turn the large-scale model into a personal AI assistant that leading global tech companies will scurry to strengthen their market presence in the sector.

“I anticipate that within three years, a person will be using two to three AI assistants, similar to the phenomenon of a person subscribing to more than one streaming service,” Ryu said at a press event to introduce SK Telecom’s AI business strategy at its headquarters in Jung District, central Seoul, on Tuesday.

“The question will be whether a user will use an AI assistant developed by Google, Naver or SK Telecom. And this company will become a market leader in this sector.”

After rolling out a beta service in May 2022, A dot was officially released on Tuesday.

A dot’s service lineup will gradually expand to include some interesting features. The company confirmed prior local media reports that call recording and call summary functions will soon be available on iPhone as well, but the exact timeline was not given.

Both features are currently serviced to Android users.

Other call-related functions, such as offering real-time translation services in Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese will be available by the latter half of this year. The number of languages will expand to 11 by the first half of 2024.

Other features such as AI Music, AI Sleep and AI Mobility will tailor to the user’s daily lifestyle patterns and offer customized suggestions or functions.

In health care, the company is focusing on developing its “X Caliber” medical AI service for animals, which is currently being utilized by some 300 veterinary clinics in Seoul. X Caliber analyzes animal X-rays and is able to detect seven musculoskeletal disorders and 10 cardiothoracic symptoms.

“Soon, the number of vet clinics using X Caliber will reach 1,000,” Ryu said. “We are in discussion with other global companies to release the service overseas.”

In the UAM sector, the company announced a goal to commercialize flying, carbon-free vehicles in Seoul by 2025 through a partnership with U.S. UAM company Joby Aviation. SK Telecom acquired a 2 percent stake in the transportation company through a $100 million investment in June.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]