"Kakao Developing Feature to Analyze Chat Room Mood Using Emoticons"

Patent Filed for Chat Room Emotion Tracking Method
Classifying Emotions as "Positive" or "Sadness"
New Technology Utilizing AI-Based Classification Model

Kakao is developing a feature that analyzes the mood of KakaoTalk chat rooms based on the emotional data of emoticons used within the chats, utilizing artificial intelligence (AI). If this feature is commercialized, users will be able to instantly grasp the atmosphere of a chat room at a glance before reading any of the accumulated messages.

According to Kakao on January 9, the company filed a patent at the end of November last year for a method of tracking emotions in chat rooms based on emoticons. The patent covers analyzing the emotions of emoticons sent in a chat room using AI to determine the overall mood of the conversation.

To realize such a feature, it is necessary to extract "metadata" from each emoticon in order to classify the types of emotions. For example, emoticons containing keywords like "Thank you" or "Congratulations" would be classified as "positive," while those with keywords such as "Crying my eyes out" or "Tears rolling" would be categorized as "sadness."

The plan is to utilize an AI-based classification model in this process. If a certain type of emotion accumulates beyond a set threshold over a certain period, that emotion will be recognized as the dominant mood of the chat room.

A conceptual design idea displaying emoticons that reflect the mood of chat rooms in the KakaoTalk chat list. Users can grasp the atmosphere in advance without entering the chat room or reading the conversation.

Once this feature is introduced, users will be able to gauge the mood of a chat room in advance without having to enter and read the conversations. Kakao is considering various ways to display the emotional type for each chat room in the chat list, such as using emoticons, text, or color indicators.

The company is also reviewing a method where, if a user posts the phrase "Today's Emotion," the chat room background and animation effects are triggered.

For example, in a chat room where the dominant emotion is "positive," if someone says "Today's Emotion," the background color of the room would change to yellow, and an animation would appear showing Chunsik giving a thumbs-up, accompanied by the phrase "Feeling extra energized today!"

A design concept where an animation effect is triggered when a user types the phrase "Today's Emotion" in a chat window filled with a positive atmosphere.

A Kakao representative explained, "The patent was registered as part of our idea development and to secure a business advantage." The representative added, "It is impossible to know what conversations users are having. The concept is to collect only the number of times emotion keywords linked to emoticons are called. The content of the conversations can never be known," they emphasized.

Meanwhile, Kakao continues to introduce services that connect emotions and context among users to facilitate communication. In May last year, for Family Month, the company launched real-time visual effects in chat rooms, such as fireworks or flower petals, triggered by the exchange of congratulatory or thankful messages.