South Korea Picks SK Telecom, KT, Kakao to Run Free Public AI Service
The selection puts telecom and messaging platforms at the center of a state-backed effort to keep Korean citizens on domestic AI models rather than American or Chinese ones.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
South Korea's government has selected three consortiums, led by SK Telecom, KT, and Kakao, to operate "AI for All," a project that gives citizens free access to domestic AI chatbots. The operators will receive 512 NVIDIA B200 units and must use both self-developed and third-party models. Services will link to government systems for doctor bookings, tax advice, and apartment searches. Contracts are signed in September, with an official launch planned for 2026.
The project is built around AI sovereignty. The government wants Korean citizens on domestic models rather than dependent on American and Chinese AI, and it is funding the push with a 2026 AI budget of 10 trillion won, more than triple the previous year. The three operators take different routes to the same goal, and each will receive a share of 512 NVIDIA B200 units.
- SK Telecom consortium: plans an action-oriented AI that handles a task from planning to execution on a single request, reachable by phone and SMS as well as apps
- KT consortium: will work through search engines, shopping sites, and telecom and IPTV channels
- Kakao consortium: makes KakaoTalk the main entry point, with a simple AI phone service planned this year and a marketplace for specialized agents
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.