Kakao (035720.KS) said Monday that its artificial intelligence training program for small business owners, conducted this year in partnership with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Small Enterprise and Market Service, achieved an average satisfaction score of 4.62 out of 5 points.
The AI training sessions for small business owners were held last month in four regions nationwide, including Seoul, Seongnam in Gyeonggi Province, Jeju, and Daejeon. A total of 338 small business owners from various sectors including tourism, services, retail, manufacturing, and food service participated in the program, which featured customized curricula reflecting each industry's characteristics and field conditions. Participants said the hands-on training and curriculum incorporating on-site feedback contributed to practical application after the program.
Kakao also independently operated the "Kakao Tech AI School for Business Owners" classes from August through October. The program is a practice-oriented AI education initiative designed to help small business owners and various other groups apply AI to their actual businesses. The company provided training to 1,350 participants through both online and offline sessions.
Kakao also announced results from its "How AI Changed Our Store" best story contest for program graduates. Small business owners who participated in the contest reported that the training helped increase their monthly sales by 79% or improved customer acquisition results. They also noted changes in overall work processes and customer management methods through AI utilization. Five best cases were selected based on demonstrated results and changes.
Building on the experience from this year's training and contest, Kakao plans to continue AI training programs for small business owners next year in collaboration with the government and related organizations. "This year, we focused not just on helping small business owners understand AI, but on applying it to their business environments," a Kakao official said. "We plan to continue education and support in ways that small business owners can tangibly benefit from."
