SKT Hosts GSMA RCS Standardization Meeting: "Redefining the Role of Messaging in the AI Era"

Participation from 16 Global Companies
"Discussing Ways to Integrate AI and Messaging Services"

SK Telecom announced on the 15th that from September 15 to 18, it will hold the GSMA RCS Group face-to-face standardization meeting at SKT Tower in Seoul, where discussions will take place regarding ways to combine artificial intelligence (AI) and messaging services.

SKT explained that, considering the expansion of AI’s work capability into real-world actions such as bookings and payments, it plans to utilize messaging as a channel for users’ final confirmation before AI agents execute tasks.

The GSMA RCS Group is a consultative body under the GSMA where global telecom operators, device and platform providers, and business messaging operators discuss technical standards and service specifications for RCS. This meeting, hosted by SKT, is attended by a total of 33 representatives from 16 companies, including global telecom operators such as AT&T, T-Mobile, Vodafone, and Orange, as well as Apple, Google, and Samsung Electronics, along with the GSMA Secretariat.

SKT proposed the AI agenda to GSMA and reached an agreement to organize a special session on September 17 themed ‘The Evolution of AI and Messaging,’ taking the lead in designing the session and inviting presentation companies. The AI special session will cover the direction for integrating RCS and AI agents, building trust in AI and user control, improving brand registration procedures through AI, and AI-based spam management in business messaging. Participating companies will share their technological and service experiences and discuss the functions and roles required for messaging in the AI era.

SK Telecom announced that it will hold a GSMA RCS group face-to-face standardization meeting at the Seoul SKT Tower from the 15th to the 18th, discussing ways to combine AI and messaging services. Photo by SK Telecom.

The key to connecting AI and RCS in these discussions is user control. As AI agents move closer to executing real transactions, it has become more important for users to directly review and approve key information such as order details and payment amounts before finalizing an action. However, if the confirmation process takes place within the AI service itself, there is a risk of malfunction or external manipulation, and if approval processes differ by AI agent, it becomes difficult for users to determine whether a request is legitimate.

SKT proposed ‘RCS-based AI agent approval’ as a standard agenda item, utilizing RCS as a separate channel outside of the AI service through which users can independently assess requests. When RCS is used for approval, it enables verification that the company requesting approval is in fact the legitimate entity, since only pre-registered and validated businesses are allowed to display their name and logo.

Additionally, product images and ‘Approve’ buttons can be included directly in the message, allowing users to respond instantly without the need to launch a separate app. The results of approval requests exchanged are saved in the conversation list of the default messaging app on the user’s smartphone and can be reviewed later if needed.

For example, if an AI agent requests a product payment, users can review the order information and payment amount in the RCS message and then authorize the transaction. This structure maintains the convenience of having AI handle tasks on behalf of users, while ensuring that users make the final decision at the approval stage.

“The more AI can do on behalf of users, the more important it becomes for users to directly verify and make decisions on key matters,” said Yoo Gyeongsang, Head of SKT’s AI CIC. “We will work with global partners to concretize standardization discussions so that messaging can develop into a trusted channel connecting AI agents and users.”

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