OpenAI to Collaborate with Kakao on AI Product Development

OpenAI announced on Tuesday that it will collaborate with South Korean chat app operator Kakao to develop artificial intelligence products, marking its second major partnership with a prominent Asian company this week.

During his ongoing Asia tour, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also revealed a partnership with Japan’s SoftBank Group on Monday. He is expected to visit India on Wednesday, where he aims to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to sources.

Like SoftBank, Kakao will integrate technology developed by OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, into its products. Kakao operates South Korea’s leading messaging app, KakaoTalk, which holds a 97% share of the domestic market and has expanded into e-commerce, payments, and gaming. Although Kakao has positioned AI as a key growth driver, analysts note that it has fallen behind its local rival, Naver, in the AI race.

“We are particularly interested in AI and messaging,” Altman stated at a press conference alongside Kakao CEO Chung Shin-a in Seoul.

Altman also mentioned that several Korean companies would play a significant role in the US Stargate data centre project. However, he refrained from providing further details, expressing a preference for keeping partnership discussions confidential.

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Earlier on Tuesday, Altman met with SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won and is scheduled to meet Samsung Chairman Jay Y. Lee and SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son later in the day, according to Maeil Business Newspaper.

In January, US President Donald Trump announced private sector investments of up to $500 billion to fund AI infrastructure, with OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle planning to build the Stargate data centre for AI projects.

“There is so much happening in Korea that will be critical for that,” Altman said.

He also highlighted that Korea’s energy, semiconductor, and internet sectors made it an important market for OpenAI, adding that the country’s demand for AI products was growing “super-fast.”

When asked about OpenAI’s potential involvement in South Korea’s AI computing centre project, Altman stated that the company is “actively considering” such an investment.

Last month, the South Korean government announced plans to build a national AI computing centre, aiming to attract up to 2 trillion won ($1.4 billion) in public and private sector investments.