ANN/THE KOREA HERALD – South Korean tech giant Kakao introduced its new conversational artificial intelligence (AI) service, Kanana, at its annual ‘if kakaoAI 2024’ developers conference on Tuesday.
In her keynote address, Kakao Chief Executive Officer Chung Shin-a emphasised the company’s vision for AI in fostering meaningful connections. “Kakao’s competitive edge lies in connecting relationships, and in the era of generative AI, we aim to provide hyper-personalised services that take into account individual emotions and contexts in various interactions,” she said.
Chung explained that Kanana goes beyond typical conversational AI by positioning itself as a “user’s closest friend”, incorporating two AI characters, Nana and Kana, referred to as “AI mates”. These characters are designed to offer tailored responses by remembering key details from previous conversations.
Nana supports both individual and group chats, providing personalised experiences by recalling important information. For instance, it remembers conference schedules and group chat discussions, sending reminders to users. It also processes documents in different formats, offering summaries and insights.
Kana, on the other hand, operates exclusively within group chats. It can quiz users on study materials, score responses, and offer further explanations.
In more personal settings, such as conversations between couples, it suggests date ideas through a whisper feature, tailoring recommendations based on the context of the conversation.
Kakao’s latest AI innovation is aimed at enhancing user engagement through personalised, context-aware responses, reinforcing the company’s focus on emotional intelligence in AI development.
“Just as KakaoTalk became a widely used and convenient service in the mobile era, we hope that Kanana will establish itself as the most accessible and useful service in the era of generative AI,” said head of Kanana X Lee Sang-ho.
Kanana will include a hands-free mode, allowing users to check messages and respond to conversations using voice commands without using their hands, especially in situations like driving a vehicle.
Kakao said it plans to release a test version of Kanana within the company by the end of this year before its official launch to the public.
Meanwhile, the company said that about half of the 94 sessions prepared for this year’s conference will focus on AI technology.
On the second day, Kakao Chief Technology Officer Jung Gue-don and head of Kanana Alpha Kim Byung-hak will deliver their keynote speeches, while vice president of worldwide developer relations at Nvidia Ty McKercher will present the company’s partnership in Kakao’s Kanana service.
On the final day, chief technology officers from Kakao and its affiliates will gather for a panel discussion to introduce their respective AI technologies and share their insights, the company said.
