[MWC On-site] "SKT Subscribers Must Be Lucky"... Enhanced AI Chatbot Features

Partnership with US Startup 'Purplecity'

SK Telecom is strengthening its AI search service capabilities by partnering with Perplexity, a promising AI startup based in the United States.

On the 28th (local time), SKT, participating in the mobile exhibition 'MWC 2024' in Barcelona, Spain, reportedly formed a partnership with Perplexity for joint AI technology development. Through this, it is expected to enhance the functions of its own AI personal assistant service, 'Aidot'.

Perplexity has developed a platform that can act as a chatbot using generative AI models. It is emerging as a rival to ChatGPT developed by OpenAI. The company has attracted $73.6 million (approximately 98 billion KRW) in investments from Nvidia, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and others.

Perplexity AI offers both free and paid versions, with the paid version charging users $20 per month. Foreign media reported that "SK Telecom subscribers are expected to be able to use the paid version of Perplexity for free."

Regarding this, SK Telecom stated, "The specific details of the business cooperation have not yet been finalized."

Accessing the free version of Perplexity, it supported Korean and was easy to use without logging in. When asked about the weather in Barcelona, it provided not only real-time weather conditions but also a forecast for the week. When asked questions, it not only gave answers but also disclosed sources to ensure reliability.

However, when asked, "What is the current number one box office movie in Korea?" the answer was, "The movie 'Suhak Yeohaeng' (School Trip). It is a work directed by Yu Hyun-mok released in 1969." While the release period and director's name of 'Suhak Yeohaeng' were correct, it was not the number one box office movie, confirming that some errors in the answer were unavoidable.