Over 150 Companies Entrust Letser with AI Transformation
Training Employees to Use AI Effectively
Diagnosing Key Issues Through "Intensive Discussions"
"Our role is to take full responsibility for our clients from start to finish when introducing artificial intelligence (AI) technology into their business operations."
KyuHyun Shim, CEO of the startup Letser, which custom-builds AI systems for enterprise operations, made this statement. After majoring in computer engineering at university, Shim decided to found Letser in 2021 while attending the KAIST Graduate School of AI. Letser’s role goes beyond simply building AI systems. The company also educates client employees on how to use AI efficiently in their work and provides ongoing maintenance and management. Shim said, "More important than just applying AI technology to a company’s operations is ensuring that employees truly understand and utilize the utility and value of AI."
To enable sustainable AI transformation for enterprises, Letser is involved in every stage: education (brand: Able Campus), adoption/planning and development (Letser), and deployment/operation (StayX). First, the company provides training so that employees can practically use AI, and then works to identify which areas of the business would benefit most from AI adoption in terms of cost-effectiveness.
Shim explained, "The key is to identify which areas of a client’s operations will yield the highest cost-effectiveness with AI adoption. In this process, employees from all departments?including IT, finance, and HR?gather for an intensive discussion to diagnose the current situation and identify projects where AI functionality is needed." He added, "Whenever a company uses a paid AI model, it incurs costs, but our AI solution manages these expenses efficiently to prevent excessive charges."
The story of Letser as a company is divided into before and after the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Before that, the team wrote code manually and attended expos, pitching to companies with the promise, "We can do anything for you," in order to win projects. In their first year, they secured projects worth over 500 million won. However, with the advent of generative AI models like GPT, they witnessed a shift where many tasks could be completed with a single click. Shim said, "It was shocking. We had to completely rethink our plans, so we halted all ongoing projects at once."
Founded by five KAIST alumni, Letser has now become a startup that excels at handling generative AI. As more companies have sought to apply AI technology to their businesses this year, Letser’s contract volume in the first quarter alone surpassed its total revenue from last year. Most recently, modular housing company Space Wavy signed with Letser to develop and operate an "architectural modeling AI." This service allows consumers to enter the intended use and number of residents for a house on the website, and the AI instantly sends a customized modular housing estimate via email. Letser participated in every stage of this service, from planning and website construction to AI feature development and operational management.
Currently, more than 150 clients across a wide range of industries, from financial institutions to manufacturers, trust Letser’s expertise and experience to guide their AI transformation. Shim stated, "The more successful our clients are, the more Letser grows as well?it's a win-win structure. Letser will handle the tasks that require specialized AI operational personnel, allowing our clients to focus on their core business."
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