SK Telecom invests $10 mn in Perplexity

South Korea's SK Telecom Co. announced on Thursday that it invested $10 million in Perplexity, the US-based generative artificial intelligence (AI) search engine startup.

The company will collaborate with the startup in the generative AI search engine field.

Perplexity will also invest in SK Telecom's Global AI Platform Corporation, established last year in Silicon Valley.

The US-based startup is known for its conversational AI search powered by large language models (LLMs) and has previously secured backing from tech giants like Nvidia and Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos.

This partnership builds on a strategic agreement formed at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona, where SK Telecom and Perplexity committed to working together on AI search engine development.

The investment will enable Perplexity to collaborate on a generative AI search engine for integration into SK Telecom's AI assistant platform A. (A Dot) and its upcoming global AI personal assistant service.

SK Telecom will contribute Korean language data and cultural expertise, along with engaging in joint development activities.

This includes fine-tuning Perplexity's LLMs to optimize search performance for Korean users and enhance overall search solutions.

Perplexity's AI search engine boasts fast response times and leverages reliable sources to prevent the generation of inaccurate information.

Integration with SK Telecom's AI personal assistant service is expected to unlock functionalities like conversational search, search result summarization, and English translation.

SK Telecom plans to offer one-year free subscriptions to Perplexity Pro, the startup's premium search service, to its customers.

Both sides will also launch joint marketing initiatives across various SK Telecom channels, including A., T Universe, and T Membership.

Write to Seung-Woo Lee at leeswoo@hankyung.com