Within just two years of its launch, the SKT-led K-AI Alliance has grown into a coalition of 25 innovative AI companies, establishing itself as Korea’s premier AI alliance. At CES 2025, held in January, three more cutting-edge Korean AI companies joined the alliance: TwelveLabs, a leader in AI-powered video analysis; Liner, an AI search engine developer; and Emocog, a pioneer in AI-driven digital health solutions.
SKT Newsroom interviewed Jae Lee, CEO & Co-founder of TwelveLabs and one of the newest members of the K-AI Alliance, to learn about his thoughts on joining the alliance and future plans.
* This article contains the opinions of other companies and may differ from SK Telecom’s official position.
TwelveLabs CEO & Co-founder Jae Lee, “Aiming to see the day Korea’s AI technology becomes the global market standard.”
TwelveLabs CEO Jae Lee
Founded in 2021 and based in San Francisco, TwelveLabs specializes in developing ‘large-scale AI that understands videos’. TwelveLabs develops AI engines capable of understanding and analyzing video content just like a human, transforming vast amounts of video data into valuable assets. TwelveLabs has been featured on ‘The CB Insights AI 100 list,’ published by CB Insights, a global research firm, for three consecutive years. Additionally, it was named one of ‘The 10 Most Innovative Companies in Video for 2023’ by Fast Company, a leading American business media outlet, attracting significant attention in the global AI market. Thanks to its cutting-edge technology, TwelveLabs has secured strategic investments from major global companies, including NVIDIA, Databricks, Snowflake, and SK Telecom. Before TwelveLabs joined the K-AI Alliance in 2024, SKT invested $3 million in the company. Today, leading global companies across various industries, including media, entertainment, sports, advertising, and security, are utilizing TwelveLabs’ technology.
Q. TwelveLabs joined the K-AI Alliance as a new member in January 2025. How has that been?
We are very pleased to collaborate with other leading Korean AI companies in shaping the K-AI ecosystem. The K-AI Alliance is more than just an alliance of companies – it carries symbolic significance, as each member brings specialized expertise in different areas of AI. At TwelveLabs, we look forward to contributing our deep knowledge in video analysis AI, offering unique value to the alliance. Furthermore, the K-AI Alliance will foster powerful synergies as its member companies expand into the global market. We look forward to the day when Korean AI technology sets a new global standard under the leadership of SKT, already a globally recognized company.
Q. TwelveLabs participated in the ‘IR Pitching Day’ with K-AI Alliance member companies at CES 2025? How was the experience for TwelveLabs?
Soyoung Lee, Head of Business Development and Co-founder of TwelveLabs, presents on the topic of ‘Multimodal AI model that understands videos’ at ‘IR Pitching Day’ held in Las Vegas, USA on January 8 (local time)
Sharing our technology and vision with Korea’s AI innovation leaders on the global stages like CES was truly meaningful. It was evident that Korea is making significant contributions to global AI development across various fields and is competitive in the international market. We look forward to strengthening our collaboration and growing together through the K-AI Alliance.
Q. TwelveLabs joined the K-AI Alliance this January, but your cooperation with SKT started last year. What are you working on in partnership with SKT?
SKT and TwelveLabs have numerous opportunities for collaboration, given the unique technologies and products each company brings to the table. TwelveLabs specializes in large-scale video data processing infrastructure and innovative multimodal AI, while SKT boasts advanced network infrastructure, data centers, and cutting-edge inference technology – highly regarded by telcos worldwide.
Both companies have a strong understanding of each other’s strengths, and by combining our technologies, we are enhancing the vision and video recognition capabilities of SKT’s Personal AI Agent (PAA) product. Furthermore, we are working toward a bold vision: integrating video understanding technology into all edge devices equipped with camera modules.
Q. What is the significance of the K-AI Alliance to you as a partner company on the frontier, and what role does TwelveLabs play in the alliance?
The K-AI Alliance is more than just a consortium of companies – it is a dynamic platform for innovation, where members collectively shape the future of Korea’s AI industry. I believe this holds great significance in three key aspects:
First, the alliance fosters technological synergy, driving groundbreaking innovation. By integrating the unique AI expertise of its members – such as natural language processing from one company, voice recognition from another, and TwelveLabs’ advanced video understanding technology – the alliance has the potential to create revolutionary AI solutions never seen before.
Second, the alliance serves as a catalyst for the growth of Korea’s AI ecosystem. With members ranging from large corporations to startups, it facilitates the exchange of technology and expertise, strengthening the overall competitiveness of Korean AI. Notably, the leadership of a global powerhouse like SKT provides a significant driving force for the advancement of Korea’s AI industry.
Third, the K-AI Alliance is a gateway to global expansion. Entering overseas markets can be challenging for individual companies, but as a collective, our impact is magnified. Just as K-pop and K-content have attained global prominence, I believe K-AI has the potential to set a new benchmark in the global AI landscape. As a member of the K-AI Alliance and a pioneer in video understanding AI, TwelveLabs is committed to leveraging its expertise and network to enhance the alliance’s global competitiveness.
SKT to play a key role in increasing the brand value of the K-AI Alliance
Q. What kind of cooperation and solidarity do you think the K-AI Alliance needs in order to be competitive in the global market? And what role will SKT play?
To enhance the global competitiveness of the K-AI Alliance, it is crucial to share market expansion strategies and build strong networks. Since each region has unique characteristics and requirements, member companies can navigate global markets more effectively by exchanging insights, experiences, and strategies.
Furthermore, collaboration with overseas companies is essential for both AI technology development and market expansion. By forming a unified brand, the K-AI Alliance can exert far greater influence than individual companies acting alone. SKT’s leadership in this collaboration is particularly important. As an established global company with advanced AI technology, SKT can provide member companies with access to its network, platform, and well-established business relationships, making overseas expansion significantly easier.
Most importantly, SKT can play a pivotal role in strengthening the brand value of the K-AI Alliance. Its credibility in the global market will greatly enhance the alliance’s reputation and standing worldwide.
Q. What do you think of SKT’s declaration of its vision as a “Global AI Company” and making the leap forward as an AI Company?
This initiative is especially meaningful as AI becomes a core technology and industry. SKT already possesses both advanced AI technology and telecommunications infrastructure. By leading the K-AI Alliance and fostering the domestic AI ecosystem, SKT is laying a crucial foundation for Korea to emerge as a global AI powerhouse.
Q. Tell us more about TwelveLabs’ vision and future plans.
TwelveLabs strives to be the “eyes,” “ears,” and even the “wisdom” of both people and machines worldwide through multimodal superintelligence that deeply understands all types of video data. Our multimodal models, built on a strong research foundation and supported by advanced video indexing technology, aim to create and maximize real value across various industries. Additionally, we are developing multimodal agents that enable faster, more accurate, and more intuitive processing of video information. Looking ahead, we expect that in three to five years, TwelveLabs will be recognized as the company that processes the majority of the world’s video data.
