[Courtesy of Kakao]
SEOUL -- In an effort to secure competitiveness in the rapidly growing smart home market, Kakao, the operator of South Korea's most widely used messenger app, released its first AI-based smart home platform to control internet of things (IoT) devices or other connected home appliances.
Kakao's AI speaker called "Kakao Home" recognizes voices to perform simple tasks such as playing a song, searching for a keyword on the internet and make phone calls. Yet, its ability to control other IoT or connected devices was limited.
The South Korean web service giant said in a statement Thursday that users can give voice orders like "turn on the air purifier and turn off lights in the living room" when smart home appliances are connected.
"We will upgrade Kakao Home by studying the pattern of users," Kakao's AI division head Kim Byung-hak was quoted as saying. Kakao has forged alliances with home appliance companies and construction companies to develop AI smart services in the IoT sector.
Currently, Kakao is the only company capable of providing a total AI-based smart home solution in South Korea. According to Strategy Analytics, an American market research company, the global smart home market will reach $155 billion by 2023.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
