SK Telecom’s “A.” (pronounced “A dot”) synthetic intelligence chatbot has a personality that speaks to folks. The corporate has built-in its numerous service from music streaming to e-commerce into A. and is planning to launch it absolutely in 2023.
BARCELONA, Spain — SK Telecom, one in every of South Korea’s greatest carriers, is planning to totally launch its personal synthetic intelligence chatbot, however is a really completely different product from ChatGPT, an government engaged on the venture instructed CNBC.
The corporate launched a beta model of “A.” — pronounced “A dot” — in South Korea in Might final 12 months. It’s primarily based on generative AI, the know-how behind OpenAI’s viral ChatGPT.
Eric Davis, vp at SKT who’s main the work on A., mentioned that the corporate will launch a full model in South Korea this 12 months, including that this proposition may be very completely different from ChatGPT.
“It is such as you’re chatting with a pal, the place you are fixing points that you simply encounter in your each day life,” Davis instructed CNBC on Wednesday on the Cellular World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.
Davis mentioned that SKT has been engaged on A. for a 12 months and a half. It’s is constructed in-house on the telecoms agency on so-called giant language fashions — AI educated on large quantities of information to have the ability to chat in pure language. It’s the similar know-how because the one behind ChatGPT.
However Davis is eager to place A. as a really completely different product from ChatGPT. That is as a result of SKT additionally owns numerous companies, starting from music streaming to e-commerce and cost apps, which it’s integrating into its chatbot.
“So, largely, the tremendous app is the tip image there. Obtain our app, and we’ll do mainly the whole lot you need us to do and extra,” Davis mentioned.
A “tremendous app” is an idea pioneered by Chinese language know-how giants, resembling Tencent with its WeChat messaging service. The thought is that an individual solely wants one app, and that a number of third-party companies are accessible by way of that app. In China, WeChat can be utilized for the whole lot from reserving holidays to funds.
Tremendous apps are in style in China and in components of Asia, however have not taken off in Europe and within the U.S.
Davis, who beforehand labored on Apple’s voice assistant Siri, mentioned that the plan is to combine “much more third get together companies” into the A. chatbot.
“ChatGPT is nice. You realize, it solutions your questions, or it offers a abstract. Nevertheless it would not do any issues we did in A., “Davis mentioned. “It would not join you with companies or out, it would not have any personalization, we make a aware effort to study our customers.”
A. is presently solely accessible in Korean. Davis mentioned that SKT is within the early phases of exploring a world launch for the service.
“We have been speaking to folks in Europe, in fact in Southeast Asia, native those that know the markets and know type of what is going on to promote. So we have been having talks, however once more, nothing’s actually finalized,” Davis mentioned.
SKT has regarded to diversify past its core telecommunications enterprise. It plans to launch a flying taxi service in 2025, and CNBC reported this week that the corporate’s AI chip spin-off Sapeon seeks a $400 million valuation.
