Over the next four years, KT will invest 300 billion ($257 million) into becoming an artificial intelligence (AI) company leading to a fully connected and intelligent world.
The Korean telecom company announced that it would develop about 1,000 AI specialists in parallel with transforming into an AI company. KT aims to create new value in line with the advancement of fifth-generation (5G) technology.
KT launched its AI-based service named Giga Genie, first offered as a form of a television set-up box in January 2017. Since then, the company expanded the application of the service to more diverse areas such as hotels, apartments, cars, and speakers.
Lee Pill-jai said, “Giga Genie has been highly acclaimed at home and abroad since its release.” The senior executive vice president who heads the marketing group at KT added, “KT is now declaring its transformation into an AI company.”
The second-largest mobile carrier and the nation’s largest broadband service provider will focus on the global market, industries, offices, and education as the four areas to expand its AI business.
The company is already working to apply the round the clock artificial intelligence-based (AI) features offered by the Giga Genie service to hotels in the Philippines this month. KT prepared to take it into the global market by expanding its service to hotels in Dubai, Singapore, and Guam afterward.
The firm worked to apply AI for manufacturing plants and also in security and the energy sector.
On a trial basis, KT is operating an AI customer center to release it by the end of next year formally. The company said that the AI customer center would be useful in offering to counsel customers during late hours or peak times.
KT is preparing a processing service powered by AI to advance business efficiency in offices. The service will replace human employees doing repetitive and straightforward work. The process will utilize chatbots and robotic process automation (RPA) in providing service.
The company will release various educational services powered by AI to accomplish its goal of nurturing the future generation.
The mobile carrier already launched its AI Makers Kit in July that allows anyone with a general level of coding knowledge to develop voice-recognition AI devices.
KT revealed during the press conference about 20 kinds of AI-based source technologies, with which the firm can develop a variety of services that leading the AI ecosystem.
The company added it aims to expand the number of devices equipped with its AI engine to 100 million by the end of 2025.
