SK Telecom, Perplexity team up for AI-powered search engine

SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest wireless carrier by membership, announced Wednesday a partnership with Silicon Valley-based AI search unicorn Perplexity to revolutionize traditional keyword-based search into a more dynamic, conversational experience.

With the conversational AI market projected to expand from $13.2 billion in 2024 to $49.9 billion by 2030, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas and its sole Korean partner SK Telecom revealed their collaborative ambitions at a joint press conference.

Founded in 2022 by former OpenAI engineer Aravind Srinivas, Perplexity has rapidly emerged as a global leader in AI-driven search technology, handling over 2.3 billion monthly queries across more than 50 countries.

“Korean users are particularly adept at engaging with complex queries and expect fast, accurate responses,” Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas said, highlighting Korea’s advanced communication networks and strong consumer engagement with AI services. “Our partnership will enable us to offer an innovative conversational search experience that mimics human interaction.”

SKT has already invested $10 million in Perplexity AI earlier this year, while Perplexity plans to invest in SKT’s Silicon Valley subsidiary, Global AI Platform Corporation. GAP Co. is currently developing a Personal AI Agent, poised to launch a beta version in the US later this year, enhanced by Perplexity’s search technology.

They also aim to co-develop an AI-powered search engine tailored for the Korean market. This engine will be fine-tuned to reflect Korea’s unique cultural context and offer a more accurate and relevant search experience.

Through this collaboration, SK Telecom’s AI personal assistant, A.dot, which already has over 5 million users, is anticipated to receive significant upgrades, further elevating its capabilities.

“Our partnership with Perplexity will significantly strengthen our AI capabilities and bring new values that never existed before in the global AI search market,” CEO of SK Telecom Ryu Young-sang said.