[Edaily Reporter Han Kwangbeom ] The “AI for All” service, available free of charge to all citizens, is set to launch within the year. It will go beyond simple Q&A to become a one-stop, action-oriented service that handles everyday tasks—such as reservations, applications, and payments—on users’ behalf using only KakaoTalk, phone calls, or text messages.

The Ministry of Science and ICT, along with a consortium comprising SKTelecom(017670), Kakao(035720), and KTCorporation(030200), held a kickoff briefing for the “AI for All” project on the 4th at the Korea Press Center in Seoul, where they unveiled the detailed development blueprint and demonstration results. Aiming for an official launch by the end of the year, the Ministry presented plans for linking public Agent AI systems, personal information protection and security measures, and public-private cooperation strategies to attract users.

◇Three-Company Consortium Unveils Vision for Familiar Channels and One-Stop, Actionable AI

At the briefing, the lead companies of each consortium presented specific service roadmaps utilizing domestically developed AI models and infrastructure.

The Kakao consortium will use KakaoTalk, the nation’s most popular messaging app, and phone channels as entry points. Based on domestic AI models such as Kakao’s “Kanana” and LG Corp.’s “ExaOne,” it plans to provide general-purpose chatbots as well as public and specialized agents, building a one-stop platform where users can complete everything—from information search to applications, reservations, and payments—through a single conversation. Going forward, the consortium intends to expand personalized Agent AI agents and an open agent marketplace to increase business opportunities within the domestic AI ecosystem.

The KTCorporation consortium unveiled “Ieum,” an integrated service that links a real-time search-based general-purpose AI agent with specialized services across approximately 10 sectors, including public services, education, finance, and shopping. Furthermore, the consortium plans to drive the growth of an open national AI ecosystem based on “Token Factory,” an AI operations platform that integrates various domestic AI models with GPU and NPU infrastructure and automatically connects users with the optimal model.

The SKT consortium proposed an “action-oriented AI service” that goes beyond simple Q&A to handle procedures—from authentication to application and payment—on the user’s behalf. It plans to introduce agent functions via phone calls and text messages to ensure that digitally vulnerable groups, who may have difficulty using mobile apps or web environments, can also use the service conveniently.

◇ Follow-up Procedures Underway for Launch Within the Year… Minister Bae Gyeong-hoon: “It Must Benefit People’s Lives”

Following the roundtable discussion, the government and the three operators held closed-door discussions to deliberate on specific cooperation plans for a launch within the year, and they plan to carry out follow-up procedures—such as linking public data and verifying security—without delay.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon emphasized, “The ultimate goal of the ‘AI for All’ project is to ensure that new, domestically developed AI services become a natural part of citizens’ daily lives,” adding, “What matters most is how easily citizens can access the service, how often they use it, and how much it actually helps their daily lives.”

He continued, “I am grateful that, despite the short timeframe, each consortium has presented concrete service blueprints based on their respective strengths,” and urged, “I ask the government and the private sector to join forces to launch these services by the end of the year, so that we can provide convenience to citizens in their daily lives and open up a new domestic AI market for businesses.”