[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] Kakao(035720)plans to expand the number of monthly active users (MAU) using artificial intelligence (AI) services within KakaoTalk to over 10 million by the end of this year. The company plans to gradually roll out Agent AI experiences on KakaoTalk in the second half of the year to establish AI usage as an everyday habit.

Jeong Shin-ah, CEO of Kakao, stated during the Q2 2026 earnings conference call held on the 6th, “As we carry out various initiatives in parallel during the second half of this year, we expect the number of monthly active users who will begin to comfortably interact with AI services within KakaoTalk to exceed 10 million by the end of the year.”

Kakao plans to gradually roll out a new Agent AI experience within KakaoTalk in the second half of the year. This will allow users to naturally make requests to the Agent AI during conversations, and the Agent AI will then suggest relevant information or actions based on those requests.

Kakao believes that the graphical user interface (GUI) of the mobile era will transition to a language user interface (LUI) in the AI era. The company explained that whereas users previously had to find and press buttons on a fixed screen, communicating with AI agents via text or voice will become the norm going forward.

CEO Jeong explained, “KakaoTalk already features chat rooms—LUI-based communication channels where users send messages to friends via text or images,” adding, “These can be converted into prompt windows where users can easily send simple requests to AI agents or create their own AI skills.”

Kakao is also expanding the ways users interact with AI from text to voice. The company plans to diversify the user experience so that users can make requests to AI and receive responses via voice, just as they would in a conversation with a real colleague.

CEO Jeong said, “Building on the stability KakaoTalk has maintained over the years, we plan to continue evolving the platform to enable everything from authentication and authorization to memory management, AI tools, payments, and connections between agents.”

Kakao plans to secure a user base for its AI services by the end of this year and begin full-scale monetization starting next year. The company identified transaction fees from agent commerce, AI subscription fees, and new forms of AI advertising as its primary revenue models.

CEO Jeong stated, “Considering the current direction and pace of execution of Kakao’s AI strategy, we expect to lay the groundwork for the widespread adoption of AI by the end of this year and begin full-scale monetization starting next year.”