[IT Cafe] "Our Company Welfare Is Gemini... The Company Pays for the Subscription"

Kakao Supports AI Subscriptions with 'AI Mileage Program'
Naver Webtoon Adopts Gemini Enterprise Version
"AI Tools Are Both Essential Infrastructure and Employee Welfare"

As companies actively utilize artificial intelligence (AI) in their work to improve productivity, there is a growing trend of supporting employees by covering AI subscription fees as part of employee welfare programs. Some companies are introducing systems where they pay for employees' paid subscriptions to AI solutions such as ChatGPT or Gemini, or officially designating certain AI tools as internal company tools. This reflects a broader trend where the use of AI is becoming routine across organizational culture.

According to the IT industry on July 4, Kakao is currently piloting an 'AI Mileage Program' for its technology division employees. Under this program, employees receive points worth several hundred thousand won each month, which they can use to independently subscribe to paid AI development solutions such as Claude Code. The purpose is to encourage employees to make practical use of AI tailored to their individual work styles, and the company plans to expand the program soon. A Kakao representative said, "In the past, code reviews felt overwhelming, but now I start by having AI do a preliminary review," adding, "This saves time and allows me to focus on other tasks."

However, not all AI tools are permitted. Kakao restricts the use of certain solutions that have not passed internal security verification procedures. For example, specific generative AI tools such as Deepseek cannot be used with mileage points due to concerns about data leakage. Because of these security concerns, companies are adopting a 'compromise strategy' that partially allows the use of external generative AI solutions, balancing the practical needs of welfare and work efficiency. Rather than a complete ban, companies conduct prior reviews of each tool and allow limited use, often restricting access to company accounts or designated devices. In Kakao's case, the company has established a certain level of security guidelines for overseas solutions such as ChatGPT and Gemini, and selectively encourages their use.

Image created by ChatGPT

NAVER Webtoon also decided in May to officially adopt Google's generative AI model Gemini as an official work tool, implementing the paid enterprise version. The company informed all employees of this decision through an internal announcement and provided specific examples of how to use the tool for translation, email writing, and global communication. Through a notice on the internal messenger, NAVER Webtoon stated, "Depending on the characteristics and needs of each team, we plan to gradually open access to other AI tools such as ChatGPT."

Industry observers note that generative AI tools are quickly moving beyond the stage of 'optional experimentation' within companies, becoming both a welfare benefit and a fundamental part of business infrastructure. An IT company representative said, "AI tools are no longer something you can choose to use; not using them means falling behind," adding, "Just as MS Office became a standard business tool, AI is becoming an essential tool faster than expected."