KaKao

- Held on September 23 to 25 at Kakao AI Campus under the theme, “Possibility Becomes Daily Life”

- Declaring a conversion from mobile system to agentic AI ecosystem: “The most innovative AI in the most familiar KakaoTalk”

- KakaoTalk to evolve from a purpose-driven messenger to a search service, making conversations easier, faster, and more enjoyable

- Kakao’s AI “Kanana” to integrate smoothly into users’ daily lives, catering to the diverse needs of 50 million users

- Focus on protecting personal information: Operating AI services solely based on conversation context and data through “on-device AI technology”

- ChatGPT to run directly on the chat app, while also enhancing convenience for Melon and Kakao Map through “Kakao Agent”

 

[September 23, 2025] Kakao (CEO Shina Chung) is hosting the annual “if(kakao)25” conference from September 23 to 25 at the Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi-do. Held under the theme “Possibility Becomes Daily Life”, CEO Chung delivered the keynote address, unveiling a major transformation of KakaoTalk along with a new suite of AI-powered services.

 

# Revolutionizing everyday life by combining KakaoTalk with AI: Lowering the barrier to AI access—as easy as going on a chat

 

“The arrival of the AI era is rapidly changing not only daily life but also the way we communicate. This renewal reflects Kakao’s strategy to listen to users and respond quickly to the changing times,” said CEO Chung, adding, “This renewal reflects Kakao’s strategy to listen to users and respond quickly to the changing times.” She explained that KakaoTalk is evolving from a purpose-driven messenger into an exploratory service, while[L1]  introducing new AI features that make access to advanced technology as easy and comfortable as chatting on KakaoTalk.

 

A key focus is on respecting the diversity of KakaoTalk’s 50 million users and providing services tailored to individual needs and preferences. To achieve this goal, Kakao is embedding its proprietary AI, Kanana, directly into KakaoTalk to enhance convenience in users’ daily lives.

 

Kakao will gradually introduce a range of new features, including chat summarization, call recording, and ShortForm content, as well as “Kanana Search,” which will replace the existing #Search, and “Kanana in KakaoTalk,” an on-device AI service designed with maximized security. The Kanana App, currently in beta, will also expand into a community-based platform where users can interact with AI and share experiences.

 

In October, Kakao will also launch a joint product with OpenAI, enabling users to access ChatGPT directly from the Chats tab on KakaoTalk without the need for a separate app. This will allow users of all ages to integrate AI naturally into everyday conversations. Beyond simple usage, the new Kakao Agent will connect ChatGPT to Kakao services such as Kakao Map, Melon, and Gift, offering a differentiated and seamless experience.

 

Moreover, Kakao unveiled service-optimized AI models and new agent platforms, including PlayMCP and the Agentic AI Builder, reinforcing its strategy to expand from a mobile ecosystem into an agentic AI ecosystem.

 

CEO Chung concluded her presentation by stating, “From today, KakaoTalk’s chat window becomes a ‘window of possibilities’ where more can be realized. The phrase ‘See you on KakaoTalk’ will no longer simply mean sending messages; it will mean experiencing a bigger world through Kakao AI.”

 

# KakaoTalk’s next leap: Removing inconveniences, enhancing conversations and everyday connections

 

Following the keynote, Kakao CPO Mintaek Hong revealed the most significant update to KakaoTalk in its 15-year history. CPO Hong explained the direction of this overhaul, stating, “Based on user feedback, we aimed to resolve inconveniences and make conversations, relationships, and everyday life more pleasant.”

 

In particular, the Chats tab has been improved by actively reflecting user input, reducing stress during conversations, and providing a more comfortable chat environment. First, a new Chatroom Folder feature has been introduced, allowing users to categorize chatrooms according to their own customized categories. Additionally, following the enhancement of the Message Deletion feature introduced in August, Kakao has unveiled a new Message Editing function. Within the Chats tab, new features will also be added, including the ability to slightly pull down on the Unread Folder to view unread messages, as well as a function where Kanana summarizes messages from unread chatrooms.

 

VoiceTalk has also been equipped with highly convenient functions such as call recording, transcription, AI summarization, and search. Regardless of device type or mobile carrier, all KakaoTalk users will be able to easily record calls. Recorded content will be neatly transcribed and summarized into text by Kanana.

 

KakaoTalk’s third tab has been newly reorganized as the Now tab, offering access to ShortForm content and Open Chat. With ShortForm, users can scroll through various videos, share them instantly with friends, or watch them together within chat rooms while communicating in real time. The newly introduced Open Chat Community allows users to view trending discussions in a feed format without having to enter individual chat rooms. A Comments feature has also been added to ensure that users can follow conversations on topics of interest without missing the flow.

 

Meanwhile, the Friends tab has been redesigned to enable lighter, more convenient sharing of daily life, supported by strengthened privacy protections. Without the need to check each profile individually, users can now view profile updates and posts in a timeline format. When a user updates their profile photo, status message, countdown, or posts, the content will appear in a grid-style feed on their profile home. Privacy settings have been reinforced, giving users control over the visibility of their posts and the ability to allow or restrict comments. If desired, users can also hide friends to avoid seeing their updates.

 

The new KakaoTalk update (v25.8.0)—including Chatroom Folders, message editing, VoiceTalk call recording and AI summarization, and Now tab and Friends tab enhancements—will begin rolling out to users sequentially starting this afternoon.

 

# The latest ChatGPT on the most familiar KakaoTalk service: Building an AI agent ecosystem together

 

On this day, Kakao and OpenAI unveiled their first joint product. The newly introduced service integrates Kakao’s platform and ecosystem with OpenAI’s cutting-edge technology, delivering an innovative AI experience to users.

 

Yongha Yoo, Kakao’s AI Agent Platform Performance Lead, commented, “Through this collaboration, we focused on enabling KakaoTalk users to access ChatGPT safely and easily, while connecting both Kakao and third-party services within ChatGPT to expand the AI ecosystem. Our goal is to provide world-class services that are finely tuned to the needs of our users. 

 

Any KakaoTalk user can begin using the service by tapping “ChatGPT” at the top of the Chats tab. Users can instantly share conversations and generated content from ChatGPT directly in chatrooms, or seamlessly switch to ChatGPT in the middle of their KakaoTalk conversations. The version of ChatGPT integrated into KakaoTalk is powered by OpenAI’s latest GPT-5 model, which features advanced text and image processing, generation capabilities, and highly refined contextual understanding.

 

Kakao has gone beyond simple ChatGPT integration and offers differentiated usability through the “Kakao Agent,” which links ChatGPT to Kakao’s diverse services. Through this interoperability, users can access features such as Gift, KakaoMap, Booking, and Melon—all without switching apps or navigating separate menus.

 

The scope of Kakao Agent will continue to expand by linking with additional KakaoTalk functions and convenient services. Kakao also plans to grow this into a broader AI service ecosystem platform, encompassing not only Kakao but also affiliates, public institutions, and external partners. To support this move, Kakao launched Korea’s first “PlayMCP” platform in August, enabling the direct development and registration of tools for AI services. A marketplace called PlayTools is also being prepared, creating a virtuous cycle that connects AI services with users by making discovery and access simple.

 

Oliver Jay, Head of International Business at OpenAI, stated, “We are delighted to collaborate with Kakao to deliver ChatGPT in a new and localized way. By combining the ChatGPT experience with the Kakao ecosystem, we believe AI will become even more useful in people’s everyday lives.”

 

# Understanding conversation context to deliver messages in advance—made safer with on-device AI

 

AI Discovery Performance Lead Ji-hoon Kang unveiled details of “Kanana in KakaoTalk,” an on-device AI. Positioned as an “AI that initiates conversations when needed,” Kanana in KakaoTalk interprets conversational context and proactively sends messages to suggest essential daily activities such as schedule management, reservations, purchases, and knowledge searches.

 

The service is powered by “Kanana Nano,” Kakao’s proprietary on-device AI model. This lightweight model, designed with world-class Korean language context understanding, operates directly on smartphones, offering both security and efficiency. Kang explained that Kakao adopted the on-device approach under its “Privacy First” principle, ensuring that Kanana can provide intelligent assistance while safeguarding user privacy.

 

Applications for beta testing are open today via the Kanana website, with selected participants gaining access starting mid-October.

 

Kang also introduced ‘Kanana Search,’ an AI-powered search service embedded directly into KakaoTalk chatrooms. This feature allows users to search and share results within conversations, emphasizing the ability to do so “together and easily.” Accessible directly from the chat input field, it enables fast, seamless searches and is expected to go beyond simple queries by facilitating information sharing and sparking new conversation topics.

 

# Introducing the Kanana Model Family: Kakao’s proprietary AI models in KakaoTalk

 

Kanana Performance Lead Byung-hak Kim introduced the proprietary Kanana model family, highlighting its focus on performance and efficiency comparable to global standards, optimization tailored to service characteristics, and security and safety. He noted that the models are evolving into both on-device and agentic AI systems.

 

He further discussed Kanana version 1.5, released as open source last February and upgraded in May, and explained that it is now advancing toward version 2.0 with an enhanced inference architecture incorporating MLA (Multi-Head Latent Attention) and MoE (Mixture of Experts) structures.

 

He also showcased examples of Kanana applications, including on-device AI, call recording, call and chat summarization, consulting manager, ShortForm analysis, and ShortForm generation.

 

Kim commented, “Users will naturally encounter the Kanana model not only within KakaoTalk but across the full spectrum of Kakao services. Through continued research on agentic AI, we will further expand this experience and transform everyday life into something more seamless and convenient.”

 

Meanwhile, on September 24, the second day of if(Kakao), sessions will cover the PlayMCP platform, serving as the starting point of the AI service ecosystem, followed up by the evolution of the Kanana model in preparation for the Agentic AI era, Kakao’s unique principles and competitiveness in ethical and safe AI, and “Kakao Reengineering” initiative, sharing the company’s transition to AI-native operations. On the final day, September 25, the company will host “Krew Day”—a special program for Kakao employees (Krew)—where developers across the Kakao Group can share technical expertise and engage in collaboration. (E.O.D.)