[Edaily Reporter Lee So-Hyun ] Kakao(035720)plans to lay the groundwork for the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) services by the end of this year and begin full-scale monetization starting in 2027. Following transaction fees from Agent Commerce and AI subscriptions, the company aims to secure a new form of advertising revenue, with the goal of increasing the share of AI in TalkBiz revenue to a double-digit percentage by 2028.

Jeong Shin-ah, CEO of Kakao, stated during the Q2 2026 earnings conference call on the 6th, “Considering the current direction and pace of execution of Kakao’s AI strategy, we expect to lay the groundwork for the mass adoption of AI by the end of this year and begin full-scale monetization starting next year.”

Kakao plans to first generate commission revenue from “agent commerce,” which analyzes users’ conversation contexts and preferences within KakaoTalk to recommend products or services and facilitate actual transactions. The company also identified subscription models for personalized AI features as a key revenue source.

In the medium to long term, the company will introduce new forms of AI advertising distinct from existing KakaoTalk ads. The company believes that proposing products or services based on users’ questions, intentions, and behavioral context could lead to a new advertising business.

CEO Jeong stated, “Not only will we begin generating revenue from transaction fees in Agent Commerce and subscription revenue from AI services, but we will also start seeing significant revenue from a new form of AI advertising that Kakao has not previously offered.”

Based on this, Kakao plans to expand the share of AI-related revenue within TalkBiz to a double-digit percentage by 2028. CEO Jeong predicted that AI “will become the key to reigniting TalkBiz’s growth and establish itself as a major revenue source.”

Kakao plans to roll out Agent AI experiences within KakaoTalk in phases during the second half of the year and secure more than 10 million monthly active users (MAU) for its AI services by year-end. The strategy is to first expand the user base and then gradually expand the revenue model through transactions, subscriptions, and advertising.

Meanwhile, Kakao reported consolidated revenue of 2.0985 trillion won and operating profit of 277 billion won for the second quarter of 2026. These figures represent year-over-year increases of 9% and 36%, respectively, marking record highs for both revenue and operating profit on a quarterly basis. The operating profit margin also improved to the 13% range, up approximately 3 percentage points from the same period last year.

Kakao’s strong second-quarter performance resulted from robust growth in KakaoTalk advertising and commerce, combined with improved profitability in platform businesses such as mobility and kakaopay.