Coupang Eats Food Delivery Now Available in KakaoTalk... "AI Service Users to Surpass 10 Million by Year-End" (Comprehensive)

On-device Model Suggests Menus Based on User Preferences
Order and Payment via Chat Alone... "Service to Launch Soon"
ChatGPT for Kakao Surpasses 13 Million Subscribers
"Aiming for Double-digit AI Revenue Share in Talk Biz in the Second Half"

Kakao has announced a partnership with Coupang Eats as part of its plan to expand its services in the artificial intelligence (AI) agent sector. Kakao aims to grow the number of monthly active users (MAU) for its AI service to around 10 million by the end of this year.

Jeongsin A, CEO of Kakao, stated during the company's second quarter earnings conference call on August 6, "The first vertical to be integrated with Kakao's Agentic AI will be food delivery," adding, "We are announcing an A2A (Agent-to-Agent) partnership with Coupang Eats."

Jisung A, CEO of Kakao, is giving a presentation at the "Kakao Media Day" held on the 4th at the Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

Through this partnership, users will be able to receive food recommendations and complete their orders and payments using AI within KakaoTalk chat rooms. CEO Jeongsin A explained, "Once Coupang Eats is linked as an agent of 'Kanana in KakaoTalk,' Kanana’s on-device AI model will interpret the conversation context to recognize users' intentions to order delivery food and will suggest menus based on their accumulated preferences," adding, "Users will be able to complete orders and payments seamlessly within the chat."

She added, "Both companies are conducting detailed discussions on various ways to ensure that the agent AI experience in KakaoTalk can actually lead to transactions," and emphasized, "We plan to bring this service to life in the near future."

Kakao plans to expand its AI agent ecosystem not only by working with Coupang Eats but also by moving into various vertical areas that users frequently access in everyday life—such as commerce, reservations, travel, and payments.

The company is also working to increase the number of AI service users in order to drive further growth in the AI sector. CEO Jeongsin A noted, "By the end of this year, the number of monthly active users who are starting to use AI services in KakaoTalk is expected to exceed 10 million. Based on current user data and plans for future service expansion, we are confident in achieving this target."

She continued, "Kanana in KakaoTalk has been releasing improvements on average every two weeks since the official launch, increasing its overall sophistication. The proportion of positive feedback about the service has surpassed 90%. Retention (repeat visits), which initially stood at about 70%, has also approached 80%."

The number of users for "ChatGPT for Kakao," which Kakao provides in KakaoTalk in collaboration with OpenAI, is also on the rise. CEO Jeongsin A remarked, "As of the second quarter, ChatGPT for Kakao had around 13 million cumulative subscribers. The emphasis is now shifting to user engagement and activity rather than just user count." She noted, "The average number of outgoing messages per user exceeded six per day, and the average time spent per session approached eight minutes by the end of the quarter."

Regarding the AI monetization strategy, CEO Jeongsin A commented, "Currently, AI is at a stage where investment comes before revenue generation. However, the steady growth of our existing advertising and commerce businesses means we are able to shoulder this level of investment."

She emphasized, "By 2028, we aim to increase the share of AI-related sales within our Talk Biz sales—including businesses based on KakaoTalk—to a double-digit percentage. AI will be a key driver that re-accelerates the growth of Talk Biz."

Kakao also announced that on a consolidated basis, it recorded revenue of 2.0985 trillion won and operating profit of 277 billion won for the second quarter of this year. Compared to the same period last year, revenue increased by 9% and operating profit rose by 36%. Both figures represent all-time quarterly records for the company. The second quarter operating margin was 13%, about three percentage points higher than the same period last year. Operating expenses were 1.8214 trillion won, up 6% year-on-year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.