Kakao unveils LLM Honeybee during public-private meeting

Honeybee [Courtesy of Kakao Brain]

South Korea’s Kakao Corp. unveiled its multimodal large language model (LLM) during a public-private gathering organized to promote innovation in artificial intelligence (AI).

During the fifth top-level dialogue on artificial intelligence presided over by Minister Lee Jong-ho in Seoul on Friday, Kakao’s Chief Executive Officer nominee, Chung Shin-a, introduced the multimodal LLM, Honeybee, for the first time. Honeybee is an open-source-based LLM scheduled to be available on the online open-source platform later that day.

The top-level dialogue on artificial intelligence is a forum organized by the Ministry of Science and ICT, where representatives from both the government and private sector discuss policies and investment directions while promoting public-private cooperation to enhance national AI competitiveness.

At the fifth meeting, representatives from not only the hyperscale AI companies leading Korea’s AI industry but also saw participants from various fields ranging from beauty and home appliances to manufacturing, communication, and startups.

Naver Corp. CEO Choi Soo-yeon and LG AI Research Chief Bae Kyung-hoon presented their efforts in developing AI models and services contributing to the initiative of “AI in day-to-day lives.” Amore Pacific Group CEO Kim Seung-hwan shared the cosmetic company’s plan to apply AI to skin genetic analysis, while Doosan Robotics Inc. CEO Ryu Jung-hoon expressed the intention to integrate various technologies and AI into robotics.

KT Corp. CEO Kim Young-shub and Samsung Electronics Co. President Yong Seok-woo were also in attendance, each representing the communications and home appliance sectors, alongside representatives of five AI startups that were awarded for innovation at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

Before the discussion, the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation presented the latest AI trends, including a review of the 2024 edition of CES, which closed last week.

As confirmed in the world’s largest electronics exhibit, AI technology is spreading extensively beyond the boundaries of industries into daily life and various devices, according to the ICT ministry.

Lee emphasized public-private partnership to gather national capabilities for AI-based growth, citing AI-based innovation as the “breakthrough for economic and social challenges.”