Kakao

Kakao Corporation is South Korea's largest internet company, best known for KakaoTalk — a messaging app used by over 90% of South Korea's population (about 50 million users). Founded in 2010 by Brian Kim, Kakao operates a diverse portfolio spanning messaging, fintech (KakaoBank, KakaoPay), mobility (Kakao T), entertainment, and cloud services.

Kakao's AI strategy centers on the Kanana family of AI models, designed specifically for Korean-language understanding and on-device deployment. Kanana is being integrated into KakaoTalk as an AI assistant capable of answering questions, managing schedules, and performing tasks within the messaging interface. The company is planning agent-based Kanana capabilities for KakaoTalk and Kanana Search for the first half of 2026.

Kakao's unique advantage is its ubiquity in South Korean digital life — KakaoTalk is not just a messaging app but a platform for payments, ride-hailing, shopping, and government services. Integrating AI directly into this ecosystem gives Kakao the potential to make AI a daily utility for an entire nation's population, rather than a standalone tool that users must separately adopt.