SK telecom invests $10 mn in U.S. startup Perplexity AI

[Courtesy of SK telecom Co.]

South Korea’s SK telecom Co. is investing $10 million in U.S. startup Perplexity AI Inc., as it aims to boost collaboration in the generative AI search engine sector, the telecom carrier announced on Thursday.

Perplexity AI, a U.S. startup specializing in generative artificial intelligence-powered search engines, offers conversational AI search services based on a large language model. It has garnered investments from Nvidia Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. Executive Chair Jeff Bezos.

With this new investment, Perplexity AI will team up to enhance SK telecom’s generative AI-based search engine, slated to integrate into SK telecom’s AI personal assistant service, A. (A dot), which is currently in development.

SK telecom plans to contribute Korean language data and cultural content insights, and will partner with Perplexity AI to optimize the language model for better Korean search performance as well as overall search solution advancement.

SK telecom noted that Perplexity AI’s generative AI search engine boasts minimal delay in delivering search results and ensures accuracy by sourcing reliable information to prevent misinformation.

The integration of Perplexity AI’s search engine into SK telecom’s AI personal assistant service is expected to enhance capabilities such as conversational queries, search result summaries, and English translations.

In addition to the investment, SK telecom intends to offer a one-year subscription to Perplexity Pro, the startup’s paid search service, to its customers. The duo is also prepping joint marketing efforts across various channels.

SK telecom and Perplexity AI formalized the bilateral strategic partnership during the 2024 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February. Perplexity AI also intends to invest in Global AI Platform Corp., established by SK telecom in Silicon Valley in 2023.

SK telecom expressed confidence in elevating A.’s search capabilities via this collaboration, aiming to launch top-tier AI personal assistant services both in Korea and overseas.

Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity AI’s Chief Business Officer (CBO), also voiced optimism about the partnership, highlighting it as their first collaboration with a global telecom company and a pivotal element in Perplexity’s growth strategy.