SKT evolves A. into a smarter conversational AI

SK Telecom (NYSE:SKM, “SKT”) today announced that it has released a major UX overhaul of its AI service ‘A.’ (pronounced A dot) to enhance customers to enjoy various content based on personal tastes and preferences. The reorganisation includes enhancements to several features such as the addition of new AI agents that are capable of taking on diverse personas.

SKT has improved the UX of the main screen of ‘A.’ so that various content can be viewed on one screen at once according to the user’s unique preferences.

The company has also added a chatroom in ‘A.’ where users can have conversations with an AI character. Through these conversations, users can share information about their daily life like they are talking to a close friend.

In addition, SKT has added ‘Chat T’ to ‘A.’, using the ChatGPT model of Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI service. By asking ‘Chat T’ questions, users can receive rich and informative responses beyond simple answers.

SKT also upgraded its own Large Language Model (LLM) to enable users to engage in a multi-turn dialogue. The model can understand the context of a conversation and grasp complex intentions, thereby creating a more logical and useful conversation.

Furthermore, through a joint development project with Scatter Lab, an AI startup known for the Lee Lu-da chatbot, SKT has introduced its new AI agents named ‘A. friends’ to bring colourful personas to its improved ‘A.’

‘A. friends’ are applied with conversational AI technology that enables emotional and human-like conversations. By engaging in conversations with ‘A. friends’, users can receive counselling and advice on a wide variety of topics. The feature is available on Android with the iOS version coming at the end of July.

In addition, to enable more customers to experience generative AI, SKT eased the age limit for signing up for ‘A.’ so that those under 14 years of age can join the service.

“With the massive overhaul of ‘A.’, we expect more customers to feel comfortable and enjoy using our conversational AI,” said Kim Yong-hun, Vice President and Head of AI Service Business Office. “We will continue to evolve ‘A.’ into a service that can help customers in their daily lives in all kinds of ways.”