Refer Report
KT has formed a partnership with Microsoft (MS) to develop a Korean-style artificial intelligence (AI) model. We decided to target domestic and overseas markets by establishing a company specializing in AI conversion (AX).
Applying Co-Pilot to KT services
On the 27th, KT announced on the 29th that it had signed a strategic partnership with MS for business cooperation and competency sharing in the AI, cloud, and information technology (IT) fields at MS headquarters in Washington, USA. The contract period is 5 years. A KT official explained, “It is estimated that the combined investment amount of both companies and costs such as human resource exchange will amount to trillions of won.”
In the future, the two companies will develop Korean-specific AI solutions and cloud services and establish an AI specialized company to find new business opportunities. We will cooperate to strengthen AI research and development (R&D) capabilities across the technology ecosystem and foster tens of thousands of AI experts.
The gist of the collaboration is to jointly develop an AI model optimized for Korean culture and industry by using OpenAI’s foundation model GPT-4o, which MS invests in, and ‘Pi’, a small language model (SLM) developed by MS itself. We plan to create a Korean customized AI model by additionally learning the data held by KT. We plan to collaborate from the initial testing and application stage of the AI model to launch a specialized service that reflects Korea’s unique language and culture. KT also plans to upgrade and utilize its self-developed AI model ‘Faith’.
MS’s conversational AI Co-Pilot will also be applied to KT services. KT customers can use Co-Pilot-based customized AI search and personalization services. We are also planning a project to develop additional Korean-style co-pilots targeting various industries such as education, healthcare, and mobility. We are also developing a ‘secure public cloud’ service using MS’s Azure cloud. The target is domestic corporate customers, including those in the security-sensitive public and financial sectors.
MS will dispatch technical staff for the next 3 years
KT also decided to establish a new company specializing in AI conversion. The new corporation, comprised of experts in the AI, cloud, and IT fields, plans to provide a one-stop service that builds an environment where corporate customers can use AI smoothly based on KT’s IT capabilities and MS’s AI and cloud platforms. MS will provide professional manpower to this company for three years and jointly carry out projects on site. The goal is to expand business to global markets, including Korea and Asia.
In order to cultivate global-level AI talent, we create a joint curriculum and support training programs for all employees, including technology, consulting, and marketing. The goal is to help KT employees grow into AI and cloud industry leaders with world-class technology and business capabilities. Joint research projects such as new AI technologies and future networks will also be promoted. An ‘Innovation Center’ will be created in the KT Gwanghwamun Building to collaborate with domestic companies and institutions. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, said, “Through this strategic partnership, we will be able to combine KT’s industry expertise and the entire technology stack, from Azure AI to MS 365 Co-Pilot.”
Reporter Seungwoo Lee leeswoo@hankyung.com
Source: korean