SK Telecom, in partnership with American AI search unicorn Perplexity AI, is set to launch a “Personalized AI Assistant (PAA)” service in the U.S. by the end of this year. At a press conference held at SKT Tower in Seoul on Sep 4., SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang and Perplexity AI CEO Aravind Srinivas shared their plans for this collaboration, aiming to release a beta version of the AI assistant to the U.S. market before year’s end. According to SK Telecom, Perplexity AI is set to play a vital role in enhancing search functions, a key component of an AI assistant’s capabilities. This AI assistant is designed to understand user commands and interact conversationally, helping with everyday tasks such as managing schedules, answering questions, and handling work-related activities. For instance, if a user wants to book a restaurant reservation, the AI assistant can use Perplexity AI’s search features to recommend an appropriate place.
Founded in 2022, Perplexity AI is a conversational AI search company gaining recognition as a potential challenger to Google. Unlike Google’s traditional keyword search that displays extensive lists of information, Perplexity AI delivers concise, summarized answers and provides sources to enhance reliability. With its potential to shake up the search market dominated by Google, Perplexity AI reached unicorn status in April and was ranked first in chatbot usability by the Wall Street Journal in May.
SK Telecom also plans to work with Perplexity AI to enhance its AI assistant service “A. (A dot),” currently available in Korea. SK Telecom will contribute Korean language data, while Perplexity AI will fine-tune its search engine to improve AI search capabilities. To strengthen their partnership, both companies are making mutual investments. In June, SK Telecom invested $10 million in Perplexity AI, and Perplexity AI is preparing to invest in SK Telecom’s U.S. subsidiary, “Global AI Platform Corporation.” Additionally, as part of their collaboration, SK Telecom customers will have access to Perplexity AI’s paid search service, “Perplexity AI Pro” (normally $20 per month), for free for one year.
