SK Telecom partners with Perplexity to level up conversational search

South Korea's largest telecom company SK Telecom Co. will enhance its conversational search services through a partnership with US AI search startup Perplexity.

At a joint press conference held at SK Telecom's T-Tower in Seoul on Wednesday, both companies outlined their collaboration, which includes mutual investments, joint marketing efforts, and the advancement of SK Telecom's A. service.

"The partnership as a step toward creating unprecedented value in the global AI search market," said Ryu Young-sang, CEO of SK Telecom.

In June, SK Telecom invested $10 million in Perplexity, which will also invest in SK Telecom's Silicon Valley-based subsidiary, Global AI Platform Corporation, as part of the collaboration.

The partnership aims to develop an personal AI agent for global markets, with a beta version expected to launch in the US later this year, where Perplexity will serve as the search partner.

SK Telecom's AI service A. with over 5 million users will be enhanced through cooperation with Perplexity.

The two companies plan to jointly develop an AI search engine optimized for Korea, integrating local data, cultural content, and a fine-tuned search engine tailored to the Korean market.

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