Beta Version Launch as Early as August
Providing Source Information and Images
One Year Free Use of Paid Version Also Available
SK Telecom's artificial intelligence (AI) personal assistant service 'A.Dot' will have enhanced AI search capabilities. As early as next month, it is expected to incorporate the functions of the U.S.-based generative AI search engine startup 'Perplexity.' Perplexity is known for providing sources for search results, which helps reduce hallucinations.
According to the telecommunications industry on the 31st, SKT is expected to integrate Perplexity's AI search function during the revamp of its A.Dot application (app). The plan is to release a beta version as early as August, allowing users to utilize advanced search features. Perplexity has attracted attention as a rival to Google, with investments from Nvidia and Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos, and became a unicorn (a privately held startup valued at over $1 billion) just 1 year and 8 months after its founding.
Perplexity has established itself as a leading player in the generative AI search industry, handling over 230 million search requests worldwide per month. In May, it ranked first overall in a chatbot usability evaluation published by The Wall Street Journal.
In traditional portal keyword searches, users had to click through individual sites to obtain desired information. However, Perplexity shortens the time spent finding answers after a search. It provides various search results including source information such as articles, YouTube videos, and posts, as well as quotations, images, and graphs related to the answers.
Once Perplexity AI is integrated into A.Dot, it is expected to add various features such as conversational questions, search result summaries, related search term suggestions, and English translation. An SKT official stated, "We are analyzing user usage patterns to readjust and enhance the existing functions of A.Dot."
In particular, SKT subscribers will be able to use Perplexity's paid version (Perplexity Pro, $20 per month) free of charge for one year. Perplexity Pro offers higher answer accuracy than the free version, advanced search capabilities, and AI-generated images. Last month, SKT invested $10 million in Perplexity and agreed to pursue business cooperation between the two companies. In this regard, last month Japan's SoftBank also announced that customers of its three telecommunications brands (SoftBank, Y!mobile, Line Mobile) can use Perplexity Pro free for one year through collaboration with Perplexity.
Meanwhile, SKT has recently been focusing on discovering specialized services exclusively for its customers. The 5th generation (5G) mobile communication market is becoming saturated, and to gain a competitive edge over budget mobile carriers pushing low-cost plans, 'killer content' is needed. Last month, SKT also launched an online video service (OTT) subscription product combining Netflix and Wavve.
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