Kakao is accelerating the development of an agent AI platform that enables users to perform searches, reservations, and purchases within KakaoTalk. As the number of integrated external services grows, the platform can now execute a wider range of commands, raising questions about whether this strategy will effectively drive user growth and revenue.
According to Kakao on the 22nd, ChatGPT for Kakao's 'KakaoTools' currently integrates 21 services. Following integrations with Musinsa, Olive Young, and Zigbang, Hana Tour and OP.GG were recently added. Services developed by Kakao through PlayMCP, such as school meal information and class schedules, are also included.
KakaoTools is an AI agent service provided within ChatGPT for Kakao. When users make natural language requests, it leverages internal Kakao services like Maps, Reservations, and Shopping, as well as external commerce and lodging services like Olive Young. It operates by calling external services via the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to perform searches, reservations, and payments.
Kakao is also expanding external service integrations for 'Kanana in KakaoTalk.' Last month, it completed integration with the travel and lodging platform Yogiyo. Users can now search for Yogiyo accommodations directly within KakaoTalk and navigate to the service.
In the second half of this year, Kakao plans to further expand third-party service integrations for both ChatGPT for Kakao and Kanana in KakaoTalk.
Kakao is also scaling PlayMCP, an experimental space for building an AI agent ecosystem. PlayMCP is an open platform based on MCP that supports AI models in connecting with external data, APIs, and systems.
As of last week, 461 MCP servers were registered on PlayMCP, a more than 30-fold increase from approximately 15 in September last year. Use cases are also growing, with Seoul City recently registering a 'Real-Time City Data MCP Server' on the platform.
These efforts are part of Kakao's strategy to establish an agent AI ecosystem centered around KakaoTalk. The goal is to expand KakaoTalk's role beyond answering user queries to a platform that enables real-world actions like searching, booking, purchasing, and paying through external services.
During the first-quarter earnings call, Kakao CEO Sin Ji-na stated, “We expect to reach a significant turning point in the second half of the year, when users can experience agents that complete transactions starting from conversations.”
Analysts suggest that expanding partnerships with external companies is crucial for Kakao to solidify its position as an agent AI platform. The key lies in how actively commerce companies, which need to grow their app and platform users, will participate in KakaoTalk's internal integrations. Kakao plans to continue expanding strategic collaborations with external businesses.
A Kakao representative said, “We are preparing additional collaborations with partners and plan to announce them in the second half of the year. Since third-party integrations are meaningful, we will continue to expand them.”
