Kakao has partnered with Google following its tie-up with OpenAI to broaden the reach of its artificial intelligence services.
"I am announcing Kakao's strategic partnership with Google for the first time here," Kakao CEO Jeong Shin-ah said during the company's earnings conference call on the 12th. "We have agreed to begin global collaboration in earnest to deliver next-generation AI experiences on the device front."
"As a starting point for this partnership, we will begin working with Google Android to enhance our on-device AI service, 'Kanana in KakaoTalk,' which launched last year," Jeong said. Kanana in KakaoTalk analyzes user conversations within the messaging app to provide schedule management, information guidance, and product recommendations. The service is currently available only on select devices running Apple's iOS. Kakao plans to optimize the service for Android through its collaboration with Google, enabling Android mobile users to access Kanana in KakaoTalk upon official launch. The company will also develop an interface tailored for Google's next-generation "AI Glass" device.
Kakao said it will expand use of Tensor Processing Units—AI-specialized semiconductor chips developed by Google—to strengthen its AI infrastructure. "We are also in discussions with Google Cloud about operating a significant-scale TPU cloud," Jeong explained.