“Kanana Space” opens for preregistration on Oct. 13, with a closed test in December
Kakao is also exploring a feature that can find products and coupons when users say, “Order me bottled water”; launch timing has not been announced
“Canvas,” a tool for building AI assistants on PC, will be tested this year, with plans to connect it to KakaoTalk in the first half of next year
Key points
▶ Kakao has unveiled “Kanana Space,” an AI assistant that can be summoned from anywhere in KakaoTalk. Swipe the screen with two fingers and Ryan appears to help send messages, manage schedules, search the web and more.
▶ Applications open Oct. 13, and Kakao will begin a closed test with a selection of applicants in December. Ordering, gifting, booking and money transfers were introduced as features the company plans to add in the future.
▶ Kakao also introduced “Canvas,” a tool for building AI assistants on a PC. The company plans to create a space in KakaoTalk in the first half of next year where users can connect and use multiple AI assistants.
While using KakaoTalk, swipe the screen with two fingers and Ryan appears. Say or type “Send a message,” and the AI will carry out the request.
Kakao unveiled its AI assistant, Kanana Space, at its developer event If Kakao 26, held on Oct. 13 at the Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. The idea is to summon an AI and delegate everyday tasks, much as users look for someone to chat with in a messaging app.
◆ An AI assistant available throughout KakaoTalk
Kanana Space can be called up from the KakaoTalk screen without opening a separate chatroom. Features Kakao demonstrated include sending messages, managing schedules, searching the web and changing KakaoTalk settings. Users can also talk with Ryan by voice or text.
For example, if a user says, “Mark everything in the Friends folder as read and turn off notifications,” the assistant changes the relevant settings. Kakao also demonstrated the AI using family chatroom conversations to keep track of plans and organizing work messages the user had not yet checked. A key question is how much the AI will be able to do on the user’s behalf.
The service is not yet available to everyone. Kakao is accepting applications from Oct. 13 and will select some applicants for a closed test in December. The test will gauge user reactions to the swipe-to-summon function and the features announced so far.
◆ Ordering, bookings and money transfers to come
Kakao’s next target is product ordering. If a user says, “Order me bottled water,” the assistant could find previously purchased products and available coupons, then prepare the steps needed to place the order.
The company plans to expand the assistant’s capabilities to include gifts, bookings and money transfers. Kakao presented these as planned additions, but did not announce when they would be officially available.
Kakao says the system will be designed to require users’ final confirmation when money is involved or a message is about to be sent. The AI may find a product and prepare an order, but the user will make the final decision.
As the AI becomes capable of doing more within KakaoTalk, users will need to be able to see what information it has consulted and what actions it intends to take.
◆ Build your own AI assistant on a PC
Also unveiled was Canvas, a tool for building and running AI assistants on a PC. Users describe what they want to accomplish, and the tool connects the necessary tools and functions. The idea is to create assistants for recurring tasks or use several assistants for different purposes.
Kakao plans to begin offering Canvas to a small group of users for testing as early as this year. In the first half of next year, it also plans to create a space in KakaoTalk where users can connect personal AI assistants. The company says it will support assistants built with Canvas as well as those created using other development tools.
Kakao also outlined its technology development plans. Smaller AI models will handle requests that can be processed on a smartphone, while more complex tasks will be routed to larger models. An “AI Conductor” will determine which models and tools to use for each request. Kakao plans to release its own model, Kanana-o, as open source in the future; it can understand text, images and speech and respond by voice.
Kakao CEO Jeong Shin-a introduced this year’s event theme, “Intelligence in Every Connection,” and said the company would build on its experience connecting people and services through KakaoTalk, expanding that role so AI can handle tasks. The first test of this year’s announcements will be the December trial of Kanana Space. It will be the first opportunity to see how accurately and conveniently the features demonstrated by Kakao work in the actual KakaoTalk app.