Daishin Securities: B2B AI to Be Commercialized Before General-Purpose AI

On May 22, Daishin Securities released a report titled "The Second Act of AI Agent Software," analyzing that B2B AI designed to replace SaaS (Software as a Service) will likely be commercialized before general-purpose artificial intelligence (AGI), despite global big tech companies fiercely competing in the AGI space.

The AI agent market is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 43.8% from this year through 2033. The market size is projected to reach approximately $139.1 billion by 2033. In particular, the adoption of generative AI is estimated to increase the operating margin of the software industry by 19.4 percentage points and that of high-end consumer goods by 14.5 percentage points.

Analyst Park Sera stated, "The development of AGI-level AI agents will take time due to prerequisites such as high-performance inference models, cost optimization of models, and securing a user base." She added, "There is a higher likelihood that B2B AI software capable of replacing enterprise SaaS will be commercialized first." Park also noted, "The trend in AI investment is shifting from hardware and infrastructure to global AI software. Going forward, domestic AI software companies should focus on securing a stable customer base and developing vertical AI service capabilities."

In Korea, competition in the AI agent sector is expected to center around Naver, Kakao, and Rytuten Technologies. Naver, pursuing a sovereign AI strategy, plans to invest approximately 2 trillion won annually in research and development, aiming to build a vertical AI platform based on its Hyper Clover model. Kakao has formed a strategic alliance with OpenAI and adopted a strategy to advance AI orchestration. Rytuten, an unlisted company, is rapidly expanding its user base by offering free AI chatbots and generative AI content.

Generative AI technology, which is replacing enterprise SaaS solutions, is evolving into AI agents capable of automating not only individual tasks but also entire workflows across various industries. Daishin Securities pointed out that Selvas AI has proactively introduced voice recognition-based AI products in the public sector to secure AI-related revenue, and that Mediana, a medical device specialist, has acquired patient biometric data through its acquisition, positioning itself for future expansion into the medical AI business.