“There are numerous AI chatbot services all over the world, but Canana is the one service that may understand the context of conversations between members in group rooms and supply assistance.”
Lee Sang-ho, performance leader of Kakao Kanana
First, it was announced that Kanana could be launched as a separate app from KakaoTalk. Contrary to predictions that it could launch an AI service using the favored platform called KakaoTalk, it would be launched as a separate AI messenger app.
Leader Lee Sang-ho explained, “In an effort to provide a brand new communication experience, we had to interrupt the mold of KakaoTalk.”
He also explained that he decided to launch a brand new app not just for technical reasons, but in addition for user interface (UI) and experience (UX), information safety and security, etc. Nonetheless, he added, “It’s a service optimized for AI while maintaining the familiar usability of KakaoTalk.”
The purpose of differentiation is that it’s a chatbot that understands context not only in one-on-one conversations but in addition in group conversations.
Kanana has two kinds of ‘AI Mate’, including ▲’Nana’, which allows one-to-one conversation with users, and ▲’Kana’, which helps smooth conversations in group chat rooms.
Nana provides personalized answers by understanding user characteristics and context during one-on-one conversations. Since it remembers conversations the user has had with Nana in other group rooms, it will possibly provide the user with the answers they need. If you happen to say, “There’s a conference at Kakao headquarters on the twenty second” in the corporate group room, you’ll receive a solution concerning the schedule for the twenty second in a one-on-one conversation with Nana outside the group room.
It also introduced functions that help with work and learning, reminiscent of uploading document data in various formats to the chat window, summarizing documents, answering questions on the content, and creating quizzes.
Using this, use cases reminiscent of uploading papers in college students’ group rooms and grading answers through chat to questions created by Kana were introduced. He explained, “Because we understand the context by which participants within the group room are solving problems, just by sending a solution, AI notifies you of the grading results.”
Because of context understanding and long-term memory, when deciding where to satisfy up with friends, you’ll be able to even ask, “Please recommend a spot for a corporation dinner I haven’t been to before.” It searches for and recommends latest places suitable for meetings, excluding meeting places which were mentioned in conversations thus far.
In group rooms, a whisper function with AI mate Kanawa has also been added. If you happen to join a bunch room late, you need to use the whisper function to ask “What are you talking about now?” and it would summarize the conversation thus far and enable you to take part in the conversation. If a pair uses the whisper function in a conversation on the lookout for a date spot, it is feasible to receive a date spot advice without the opposite person seeing it.
Leader Lee Sang-ho said, “That is the largest feature of Canana, which is providing personalized answers through context understanding and long-term memory. We are going to create an evolution in communication with AI.”
Along with AI Mate, Canana also provides a ‘hands-free’ function and an ‘encrypted information storage function’. By applying voice recognition and artificial AI models, you’ll be able to send and receive messages by voice even while driving or exercising.
Moreover, one-on-one conversations have been developed to only be possible when people add one another as friends or reply to an invite link, and all conversation content is encrypted and stored. By storing the decryption key on the user’s device, only the user can view the conversation, stopping leakage of vital information.
“Canana’s AI mate goals to be ‘the AI that knows me best,’” he said, adding, “In the longer term, it would be possible for user-customized AI mates to speak and exchange information with other AI mates.”
Canana is scheduled to be released after internal testing and have improvements.
Meanwhile, performance leader Lee Sang-ho is a former SKT chief development officer (CTO) who led the event of the AI speaker ‘NUGU’. He joined as CAIO through the reorganization of Kakao’s AI organization in the beginning of the 12 months, but with the establishment of Canana, a dedicated AI organization, he took on the role of product owner (PO) on the service-oriented Canana X.
Kim Byeong-hak, Function Owner (FO) of Canana Alpha, a corporation focused on AI model development, plans to introduce Kakao’s AI model under development through a keynote speech on the morning of the twenty third.
Reporter Park Soo-bin sbin08@aitimes.com
