Naver and Kakao will launch AI agents that book and pay for users
Naver says that its shopping agent has 5 times as many users as in March, and sales through it increased almost 4 times.
Naver and Kakao, the two biggest platforms in South Korea, will launch AI agents next month. The agents book a restaurant or pay for an item for the user. Naver CEO Choi Soo-yeon said this on 12 November when it gave third-quarter results. Kakao starts a closed beta test, a test for a small group of users.
How it works
The agent app of Naver connects its search, shopping, map and payment services. Naver also prepares an isolated browser for external websites. Kakao puts its agent in the chat app KakaoTalk. The agent will send gifts and move money. The user gives approval at the last step of payment and booking.
The numbers
Naver says that its shopping agent, which started in March, had 5 times as many users in September. Operating profit of Naver decreased 20.9% when marketing costs increased 32.3%. Operating profit of Kakao increased 7%. Kakao wants 10 million AI users who are active each month this year.
What is not known
The source gives no error rates for mistakes by an agent. Privacy and account access are open problems. An industry official says that the first company to get trust for payments will be first to get the market.
Insight: Safety tools are behind the fight for the payment step
Operating profit of Naver decreased 20.9% as costs increased, but it pushes agents. The safety tools are new. Hong Kong tests an ID that connects an agent to a person, and a Korean company for AI safety wants to add controls. This reads as a fight for the payment step, and the agent that users trust with money first can control the market. Shops must know how agents select items to show.
Sources
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