South Korean tech giants compete for ‘Everyone’s AI’ project

Major South Korean technology companies have submitted proposals for the ‘Everyone’s AI’ project, a government initiative aimed at developing a free national AI chatbot and public AI agents. The project, led by the Ministry of Science and ICT, seeks to prevent socio-economic gaps caused by AI accessibility by providing a sovereign AI service without usage constraints or high costs.

Six consortia have applied for the project. SK Telecom has formed the largest group, involving 20 partners, including financial, mobility, and healthcare firms. SKT is leveraging its proprietary ‘A.X K2’ foundation model. Kakao has partnered with multiple LG Group affiliates, including LG Uplus and LG AI Research, to combine its ‘Kanana’ model with LG’s ‘EXAONE’ to meet project requirements.

Eastsoft is also competing with a plan to launch ‘Al-Biseo,’ an AI agent service designed to connect daily life and work across web, mobile, and PC environments. Their consortium includes partners such as Megazone, Wisenut, and Polaris Office. KT has also joined the competition to establish itself as a representative AI service provider.