"Innovating Work Styles... Kakao Works with 'AI Buddy'"

Introducing AI Buddy and Code Buddy from This Month
Utilizing AI for Service Development and Monitoring
"AI as Part of the Organization... Aiming for AI Native"

Kakao has introduced an 'Artificial Intelligence (AI) Buddy' to its internal systems to enhance work productivity. The company aims to change the way of working by incorporating AI technology into various tasks such as AI service development and service monitoring. The goal is to make AI a part of the organization and lead to service innovation.

On the 23rd, Kakao shared its 'AI Native' strategy at the developer event 'if kakao 2024' held on the second day at the AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.

Jung Kyu-don, Kakao’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), said in the keynote session, "Our goal is 'AI Native,' where AI naturally permeates users' daily lives beyond simply adding AI features to services. To achieve this, the core task is to make AI naturally become a part of the organization within Kakao."

Jung Koodon, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Kakao, shared the 'AI Native' strategy on the second day of the developer event 'if kakao 2024' held on the 23rd at the AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
[Photo by Kakao]

To this end, Kakao has introduced 'AI Buddy' and 'Code Buddy' into its internal work systems starting this month.

'AI Buddy' integrates scattered data and information within the company to improve work productivity. It provides integrated knowledge and search functions related to HR, welfare systems, internal regulations, and also offers work automation features such as document search, summarization, translation, and meeting room reservations.

For example, by simply writing a prompt, AI Buddy can book a meeting room. If you send a message to AI Buddy saying, "Please book a review meeting for AI Native with the code change request (PR) members at the meeting room on the 10th floor at 5:00 PM today," the Buddy will show a list of available meeting rooms at that time and send invitations to the meeting attendees. Previously, employees had to log into the internal system, access the meeting room reservation system, find an available room for the desired time slot, and enter related information such as the meeting topic and attendees.

'Code Buddy' is an AI tool that assists developers with PR reviews. It handles essential steps during code writing or review and suggests improved code. This simplifies the code review process and enhances code quality.

CTO Jung said, "AI Buddy and Code Buddy are AI agents beyond mere tools or bots. They have evolved to a level where they can handle complex tasks and will become colleagues who actually collaborate with Kakao crew members within the company."

Kakao AI Native Maturity Level [Image=Kakao]

Kakao has also built the Kakao AI Platform (KAP), which can efficiently shorten the complex and time-consuming AI service development process. KAP automates processes such as data preparation, model training, validation, and deployment, supporting developers to create AI services more easily and quickly.

AI is also utilized for stable service operation. 'Matrix AI,' developed internally by Kakao, monitors the entire service architecture of Kakao in real time. When an anomaly occurs, it searches for similar past cases and sends a report to developers containing the expected cause and the most appropriate measures based on that history. This enables developers to respond proactively.

On this day, Kakao introduced its self-developed 'AI Native Maturity Level' indicator, a metric for systematically managing AI adoption. It consists of four stages: Exploration, Application, Innovation, and Everyday. The final stage, 'Everyday,' means AI naturally permeates daily life, bringing unprecedented convenience and productivity. CTO Jung explained, "Kakao is currently moving from the 'Application' stage, where AI is applied to services and ways of working, toward the 'Innovation' stage that can change our daily lives. To achieve innovation, we first changed the way we work."