(Bloomberg) — Kakao Corp. and OpenAI have agreed to integrate ChatGPT and other AI services more deeply into Korea’s largest social media platform, another significant customer win for Sam Altman’s startup.
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The OpenAI chief joined Kakao Chief Executive Officer Shina Chung in Seoul to announce the strategic partnership, which will include joint product development and the use of more OpenAI technology in services like KakaoTalk.
“South Korea is an incredibly important market,” Altman said. “One of the things that has been cool to see is how wide the use cases are,” spanning areas from researching cures for childhood cancer to AI deployment in education.
Altman, 39, had been in Tokyo a day earlier to unveil a deal with SoftBank Corp. for selling and proliferating AI tools and services in Japan. His tour of Asia is set to extend into India on Wednesday, as the co-founder and CEO meets investors, developers and partners in a push to extend OpenAI’s lead.
The pioneering AI startup is increasingly monetizing its technology — via the mobile ChatGPT app, among other means — and its collaboration with local tech leaders like Kakao and SoftBank is helping accelerate that effort.
Kakao, one of Korea’s two dominant internet players, has been through a tumultuous few months, with its founder facing allegations of price rigging and Chung taking up her post to steady the ship a year ago. Prior to stepping in as CEO, she was part of Kakao Ventures, which made several bets in fields from AI and robotics to gaming and digital health-care under her leadership.
Altman, on his third visit to South Korea since 2023, held meetings with business leaders including SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won as well as executives of SK Hynix Inc., SK Telecom Co. and Krafton Inc. to discuss business collaboration. He’s also expected to meet with senior executives of Samsung Electronics Co. later on Tuesday.
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