SK Telecom is building AI partnerships through K-AI Alliance with Korea’s leading AI tech businesses and proactively pursuing the global market to lead the global AI ecosystem.
SKT hosted Unite 2024, an annual conference to gather promising Korean AI companies, in Silicon Valley, U.S., in December 2023. Participants all agreed to open the alliance’s door wider to concentrate the country’s AI capabilities and welcomed addition of two more AI tech companies, increasing the number of its members to 18.
SKT Newsroom interviewed CEO Ikkjin Ahn of Moloco, one of key members of the K-AI Alliance, and asked the meaning of the alliance and what his company had gained from the participation.
* This article contains the opinions of other companies and may differ from SK Telecom’s official position.
An interview with CEO Ikkjin Ahn of Moloco: “Our AI-based ad platform developed with SKT is garnering attention from major global telecommunication companies.”
Ikkjin Ahn, CEO of Moloco
Co-founded by Korean CEO Ikkjin Ahn in Silicon Valley, Moloco is an adtechA portmanteau of “advertising” and “technology” company that provides a customized advertisement platform to businesses. The first unicorn to be founded in Silicon Valley by a Korean, Moloco is a major partner of K-AI Alliance led by SKT and is producing a variety of cooperation models to secure leadership in the global AI market.
Q. How do you feel about having been a member of K-AI Alliance?
I am pleased to have the chance to strengthen our AI alliance with most advanced tech companies and pursue various partnerships in the era of AI. Moloco’s vision “We empower businesses of all sizes to grow through operational machine learning” aligns with K-AI Alliance’s goal “AI for all.” We will continue mustering energy for domestic AI capabilities and infrastructure to achieve sustainable innovation and to equip them with global competitiveness so that they can be used widely.
Q. What have you gained from participation in K-AI Alliance?
We released ASUM 2.0, an AI-based ad platform, in a partnership with SKT in June 2023. To give a little detail about it, ASUM 2.0 is a targeted ad platform created by integrating Moloco’s machine learning technology into SKT’s first-party data to provide elaborately personalized ads.
SKT launched ASUM 2.0, an AI-based ad platform, with Moloco in June, 2023.
ASUM 2.0 allows advertisers more effective marketing by exposing users with a high conversion probability to customized ads while helping users reduce ad fatigue as they see ads they can relate to only and get information about the items. Major global telecommunication companies are taking note of the platform as a good example of cooperation between a telco and Moloco. We will build on our initial success, further improving the efficiency of AI ads harnessing telco’s unique data.
Q. What do you think of SKT announcing its goal to become a “Global AI company” and taking a leap forward to become one?
Once the territory of a few tech experts, AI has now become the talk of everyone. Assets and talent across the world are being drawn to AI. Businesses that seek transformation using AI in many industries and take the area ahead of others will surely make a big success. The role of SKT’s K-AI Alliance to expand and strengthen cooperation with major AI players both at home and abroad should be crucial going forward.
Q. What do you expect from the cooperation with K-AI Alliance, or SKT?
I hope partnership with Moloco enable SKT to suggest new ad platform business and revenue models. Eventually, I expect SKT can evolve into a “global AI company” and outstand in many industries with its AI technology. As for Moloco, I want to see it lead the global AI market and drive AI-based business innovation with K-AI Alliance as its member.
Q. What is your future plan?
Moloco intends to expand our realm to include business solutions in general, in addition to advertisement. Also, we want to be a global software company in the long-term by developing machine learning, our key business area. We plan to create our own business model as we move into the global market. We will support businesses of all sizes so that they can monetize from first-party data and machine learning, and achieve co-prosperity with our partners.
