KDDI explores AI integration and digital sub-brands at summit

At the KDDI Summit 2026, KDDI executives and industry experts discussed the evolution of digital-first mobile services and the strategic implementation of artificial intelligence to drive business growth.

Focusing on the mobile sub-brand povo, KDDI Digital Life President Tatsuya Hamada highlighted the brand's five-year milestone. Unlike traditional monthly plans, povo utilizes a “topping” system where users purchase specific data or call increments. To enhance user experience, povo has introduced “povo AI,” offering access to models like GPT-4o and Perplexity Sonar Pro to act as a digital concierge.

The summit also addressed the gap between individual AI productivity and organizational profitability. Takashi Kimura, an executive at KDDI, identified “partial optimization” and “organizational fragmentation” as primary barriers to meaningful business transformation. To combat this, KDDI collaborated with Lawson to implement AI-driven solutions at an in-office convenience store, aiming to optimize sales and reduce food waste through data-driven insights and cross-departmental teamwork.