ESTsoft (047560), an artificial intelligence (AI) service specialist, said on the 14th that it will participate in the "Universal Support for Nationwide AI Service Use (AI for All)" project.
The "AI for All" project, driven by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the National IT Industry Promotion Agency (NIPA), is a national project designed to help anyone in the country use domestic AI services easily and conveniently. The project selects companies with business-to-consumer (B2C) service experience and competitive AI services, providing them with GPU infrastructure and service operation support. It aims to launch a free general-purpose AI chatbot service for all citizens within the year, as well as to discover and provide public AI agents and specialized AI services.
An ESTsoft official said, "Based on the AI capabilities we have proactively accumulated over more than 10 years, we plan to establish a foundation for AI services that anyone can use easily and safely, drawing on Perso AI, our world-class AI avatar-based generative service, and Alan, our in-house developed agentic AI."
In particular, the company will combine into the project the search, news, and content service operation experience accumulated through zum, the portal of ESTaid, along with AI-based information search technology. Based on its capabilities in attracting users, driving revisits, and expanding services, the company aims to deliver an AI search agent experience that lets citizens find the information and services they need easily and accurately, while supporting the wider use of public AI services.
At the same time, as the importance of security in the AI era is emphasized, the company will combine AI with ALYac, which detects and blocks about 200 million pieces of malicious code annually and provides large-scale security services. It also plans to feature ALTools—reborn as a complete AI service equipped with AI plug-in functions—as a specialized AI service.
In addition, the company plans to strategically leverage in this project the experience it has accumulated in developing and operating digital services in citizens' daily lives, having secured more than 30 million software users through ALTools, Korea's leading utility software, the security service ALYac, and the portal service zum.
To invigorate Korea's domestic AI ecosystem, the ESTsoft Group is also actively pursuing cooperation with a wide range of AI companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises and AI startups. The company is reviewing the formation of a consortium that links various AI technologies and services based on an open cooperation framework rather than one centered on a specific company. Specific participating companies and service models are being discussed in various directions, taking into account the purpose of the project and the strengths of the participating companies.
Chung Sang-won, CEO of ESTsoft, expressed his ambitions for the project, saying, "The ESTsoft Group has proven its unrivaled capabilities by stably operating software services used by 30 million citizens for more than 30 years. By bringing together the AI capabilities we have advanced over more than 10 years, we will implement an 'AI for All' service that anyone can easily experience in daily life, and take the lead in developing Korea's domestic AI ecosystem."
