TLDR: Kakao is set to release ‘Kanana,’ a new conversational AI agent-integrated messenger app, in the first half of 2025. This move aims to bolster Kakao’s position in the competitive AI service market, with Kanana operating as a standalone application separate from KakaoTalk.
South Korean platform giant Kakao Corp. is preparing to launch ‘Kanana,’ a conversational AI agent-integrated messenger application, in the first half of 2025. This strategic initiative is part of Kakao’s broader effort to enhance its presence and competitiveness in the global artificial intelligence service market. The announcement was made during Kakao’s annual AI conference, if(KakaoAI) 2024, which commenced on October 22, 2024.
Kanana will function as Kakao’s inaugural business-to-consumer (B2C) AI service, designed to operate as an independent messenger app, distinct from the widely used KakaoTalk, which boasts over 95% market penetration in Korea. The new app will feature AI agents named ‘nana’ for personal secretary services and ‘kana’ for group chats. These agents are engineered to retain conversation history and comprehend dialogue context, enabling them to generate highly personalized and relevant responses for users. Similar to KakaoTalk, Kanana will facilitate conversations exclusively among invited friends.
Kakao CEO Chung Shina emphasized the company’s ambition to evolve into a ‘hyper-personalized AI service’ in the era of generative AI, focusing on integrating the context and emotions of individual relationships and conversations. This aligns with Kakao’s goal of becoming an ‘AI native company,’ where AI is fundamental to its products and operations. The company has consolidated various AI-related teams into a new AI unit, also named Kanana, which was formed in June after merging with its AI R&D subsidiary, Kakao Brain, in May 2024.
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Despite these significant investments and strategic shifts, the market’s reception to Kakao’s AI endeavors has been somewhat reserved. Concerns have been raised regarding the potential for Kanana to cannibalize KakaoTalk’s user base. Following the announcement, Kakao shares experienced a decline, closing down 5.2% at 37,350 won ($27.10) on the day of the conference.
