Kim Ji-hoon, Head of A. Business at SKT, shares insights from the success of A.(pronounced “A dot”) on creating a world where consumers(B2C) and enterprises(B2B) have their own AI agents. In this column, he discusses the paradigm shift from the web/app era to the AI agent era and shares the strategy of A. as Korea’s leading AI service.
A. to Lead the Way for “AI for All” in Korea by Securing Full-Stack AI Capabilities
After launching the beta service in May 2022, A. has amassed 10 million Monthly Average Users (MAU), effectively leading the B2C AI market in Korea. Notably, the recently launched “A. note” successfully secured 300,000 users in a week, and the schedule and briefing (beta launch) functions can deeply understand situations and offer customized suggestions, proving the value of AI agents.
This achievement was possible due to a proprietary technology called “Agentic Workflow” that identifies a user’s undisclosed intent and automatically processes complex requests. This highly advanced technology connects various domains of the platform such as mobile (A. phone), mobility (TMAP), Home (B tv), becoming a foundation for A. to boundlessly expand to all aspects of daily life.
Innovation in the phone call domain as a telco is even more symbolic from a technical independence perspective. SKT combined the core function of “A. phone” with proprietary AI foundation model “A.X” and Korean AI chipmaker Rebellions’ NPU, securing domestic full-stack AI capability E2E(end-to-end) from software to hardware and successfully commercializing large scale AI services.
This is a remarkable achievement, reducing dependence on foreign technology and achieving true self-reliance in the domestic AI ecosystem. Building on this technological independence, SKT will enhance the competitiveness of the Korean AI industry and lead AI for all in Korea in the rapidly changing global market environment.
Expanding Use Cases and Work Efficiency Domain Based on Telco Strengths
1. Core Services Leveraging Telco Strengths – “A. phone,” “A. note”
SKT started “A. phone” and “A. note” products to secure a competitive edge in our strongest areas. At the core are SKT’s unparalleled phone service operation expertise and voice processing capabilities which are concentrated in “A. phone” and “A. note”
(A. phone) Leveraging our strength in telecommunications, A. phone goes beyond connecting calls, redefining the value of calls. The A.X model summarizes key conversations immediately after a call ends and uses text analysis technology to detect and warn of voice phishing scams in real time, ensuring both user safety and convenience.
(A. note) A. note goes beyond taking notes. Building on the technical expertise accumulated from call summarization, it separates speakers and understands context to convert and summarize meeting conversations into text.
Interface of A. note function
Interface of A. note function
2. Expansion and Connection Based on Customer Understanding – “Daily,” “Briefing”
Data accumulated through the “Daily” and “Briefing” services leads to a deep understanding of the customer. By remembering the context embedded in calls and notes, A. is expanding the user experience into personalized “Daily” management and “Briefing” services that go beyond simple notifications to proactively suggest information that users need at that exact moment. This is not merely an add-on of new features, but a process of evolving into an “agent that knows me best” by organically connecting fragmented records of daily life.
Interface of A. “Daily” service
3. Technology that Completes Organic Connection – “Agentic Workflow”
The technical engine that powers this seamless service integration is the “Agentic Workflow.” Unlike in the past, where users had to manually select individual features, the Agentic Workflow environment features an Action Planner that understands complex user intentions and utilizes contextual information stored in memory to autonomously connect the most suitable functions.
For instance, with a single command like, “Play the music I listen to every morning and tell me today’s weather,” the system identifies the user’s music preferences from memory to start playback while providing weather updates based on their current location. The Agentic Workflow is the technical foundation that transforms A. from a mere collection of features into a flexible, living entity.
A. “Agentic Workflow” technology
4. Extending Everyday Life Productivity to Work – “A. Biz”
Through “A. Biz,” SKT aims to extend the proven value of “personal productivity innovation” into the enterprise (B2B) sector. A. Biz is a service that optimizes the AI agent technology and A.X model already verified in the B2C market for corporate environments.
Currently, A. Biz is being implemented first within the SK Group to create successful cases of maximizing work productivity, such as real-time meeting minutes, intelligent internal searches, news curation, and AI report generation. The agent that once assisted in daily life is now evolving into a business partner that innovates the very way corporations work.
SKT employees are utilizing “A. Biz” to carry out work tasks.
Leading the Korean AI Ecosystem through “Core Technology Internalization” and “Open Collaboration”
SKT’s AI strategy begins with “technological internalization and securing core proprietary capabilities.”
As the provider of Korea’s designated “National AI,” SKT possesses world-class model technology. Specifically, we are actively integrating our massive 500B large language model “A.X” into A. services. The goal of this technological internalization goes beyond simply securing a competitive edge; it aims to increase the AI benefits available to the people of Korea.
We are focused on spreading the practical value of AI in areas closest to daily life, such as AI security in “A. phone” for public safety, “TMAP” to assist drivers with convenience, and “B tv” to provide personalized media experiences.
This innovation extends beyond B2C into AI DX (Digital Transformation) across all industries. SKT plans to flexibly expand the A.X model into various corporate environments, including manufacturing AI and groupware solutions. Through this, we will contribute to enhancing the fundamental competitiveness of industries and improving corporate productivity.
“Open collaboration” with the global ecosystem is another core pillar of SKT. SKT remains open to collaborating with external partners, including global Big Tech firms, and we have already established successful cooperation cases with leading partners such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Perplexity, Scatter Lab, and LINER. This open collaboration is significant as a complementary strategy aimed at ultimately strengthening our capabilities for localized technology.
In line with the rapidly changing market, we will continue to strengthen connections with external ecosystems through agent connection frameworks (such as MCP and A2A), leading the way in building a truly open AI ecosystem.
A. will fulfill its responsibility as the leading “National AI” of Korea. Beyond innovating everyday life, we will become a partner that strengthens national AI competitiveness and continuously expands the future of AI in Korea.
