[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] Users can now directly call upon ChatGPT within KakaoTalk chat rooms. While ChatGPT was previously accessible via the “ChatGPT for Kakao” option at the top of the KakaoTalk chat tab, the new feature allows users to ask questions by mentioning @ChatGPT in one-on-one or group chat rooms. The biggest change is that users no longer need to switch to a different window or app to use the AI while in the middle of a conversation in a KakaoTalk chat room.
After trying it out myself, the advantages were clear. While planning our trip to Yeosu with my family, I could ask for restaurant recommendations and check the weather for the day of our trip to see if it would rain—all right within the chat room. It was more convenient than I expected not to have to interrupt the conversation and switch to a search bar or a separate AI app. It was especially useful to call on the AI during a conversation to get help with travel planning.
It’s not difficult to use. In the latest version of KakaoTalk, tap the menu in the top-right corner of the chat room (the three-line button), select “Chatbot,” and add “ChatGPT”—that’s all it takes to set it up. After that, type “@ChatGPT” in the input field and ask your question; the answer will appear in a speech bubble. You can also tap the dedicated button newly added to the toolbar at the bottom of the input field. It provides shortcut commands for common functions like “News,” “Horoscope,” and “Popular Questions,” lowering the barrier to entry for beginners unfamiliar with AI tools.
However, it is not automatically available in all chat rooms. Whether in a one-on-one or group chat, you must add the chatbot separately to each room where you want to use it. Kakao(035720)plans to make the ChatGPT chatbot available in KakaoTalk Open Chats in the future, so its usability is expected to expand further.
Compared to KakaoTalk’s existing “Shop Search” feature, the advantages were clear. While Shop Search was limited to pressing the # button to view search results and sharing the necessary information in the chat room, the ChatGPT chatbot within KakaoTalk allowed users to receive recommendations tailored to their specific situations and conditions, such as “Find a good hammo restaurant in Yeosu suitable for a family of four.”
The ChatGPT chatbot feature was also available on the PC version of KakaoTalk. Just like on mobile, users could add the chatbot to a chat room and then type @ChatGPT to ask questions and receive answers. Since I use the PC version of KakaoTalk frequently for work, this was a welcome addition. The responses included a summary of the content and the “sources used in the answer,” which was helpful when asking informational questions.
One drawback when using it on PC KakaoTalk is follow-up conversations. When you call up ChatGPT to ask a question, a response appears, and the phrase “View more details about the answer” appears below it, but the specific details could only be viewed on mobile. This is because the ChatGPT for Kakao service is currently supported only on mobile devices and not on the desktop version of KakaoTalk. On mobile, a “View Details” button appears; tapping it takes you to the ChatGPT for Kakao window. While this allows users to ask a single question and view a summarized response on the desktop, the fact that they must switch to a mobile device to continue the conversation in depth is a drawback in terms of user continuity.
It also supports image generation. If you make a text-based request—such as “Draw a seaside scene in Yeosu”—you’ll receive an image as a response. However, currently, prompts can only be entered as text. Complex tasks, such as uploading photos or files for analysis, are not possible. At this point, the service is optimized for light, “snack-style” conversations on mobile rather than PC environments or advanced business functions.
The experience of invoking ChatGPT within KakaoTalk was more natural than expected. Compared to ChatGPT for Kakao, the ChatGPT chatbot is definitely more convenient simply because you don’t have to switch to a different window during a conversation.
However, its limitations are clear. The ChatGPT chatbot within a KakaoTalk chat room cannot yet be considered a fully-fledged AI assistant capable of perfectly handling all business tasks. Still, it demonstrated the potential for KakaoTalk to serve as the most familiar entry point for popularizing AI. If viewed simply as a feature for casually summoning AI within a KakaoTalk chat room, it proved to be quite useful.
