Competition for contents differentiation among home appliances, portals, and mobile communication companies is expected to intensify in order to bring `AI speaker`, which combines artificial intelligence (AI) and voice recognition interface, as new business.

According to the industry on July 11, LGE, Naver & Kakao, SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus, which have entered the AI speaker market, are focusing on highlighting content differentiation from competitors.

It is expected that it is advantageous to secure market leadership by creating specialized `killer contents` which will lead consumer choice in addition to service (schedule, news, weather, music service) based on AI voice interface. Because there is not a multiplication in the AI speaker lump in `the herb and the rice`.

LG Electronics, which unveiled the Smart Sink Hub 2.0 in April, has taken the home Internet of Things (IoT) technology as a differentiating point. The concept of `a device that activates appliances with voice` is running an experiential zone in 100 LG bet shops nationwide starting this month.

Smart Thinking Hub 2.0 is a cylindrical hub which interacts with users based on AI. It is linked to all LG Electronics products that have wireless LAN function. The main target of the service is the family with the elderly who have inconvenient behavior, the dual-income family that needs the ability to control household appliances from the outside, and the family with many children alone in the household.

Kakao will be a differentiating point for its `Kakao Mini` (scheduled to be released in the third quarter) as an AI speaker who can use KakaoTalk, a `national messenger` used by 42 million people in Korea. It is equipped with a self-developed AI voice interface. The device features KakaoTalk, Melon and other services available through voice. The company explained that in addition to sending and receiving messenger messages, various services available on KakaoTalk will also be available on AI speakers. In the future, it will be possible to use AI speaker as well, such as notification order currently being available in KakaoTalk, ordering food for beauty salons, reservations for beauty salons, notification of hospital consultation, and easy payment (Kakao Pay). Kakao representative said, "AI speakers will evolve as KakaoTalk evolves."

Naver is trying to differentiate itself by using the `National Messenger` line of Japan with AI speaker `Wave` (expected to be released in the second half). It will provide message transmission and reception functions in conjunction with a line with 68 million Japanese users. Especially, it plans to make line supplementary services available to AI speakers, such as job search (line by byte), music (line music), shopping (line shopping), and delivery food order service.

SK Telecom, which has sold 140,000 units in `Nugu (Who)` launched last September, is pushing `service diversity` as its strength. The company has already received 21 content items as a preliminary runner in addition to music (melon) and weather functions, such as ordering goods (11th street), inquiring professional baseball game results, and joking. In the second half of the year, it will add the financial market service and audio book service that can check stock market conditions.

KT, which introduced `Giga Gini` as an AI speaker and IPTV in January, is helping to secure B2B market. Especially, the company is trying to differentiate by entering into the apartment built-in market. Currently, the company is building an AI apartment in Lotte Castle apartment, which is equipped with a Giga Gini and is capable of calling an elevator in the house or checking the gas status.

LG Uplus, which is scheduled to introduce IOT-based AI speech recognition service at the end of September, is likely to adopt the Naver & Line `Clover` AI service. Clover provides voice search, dialogue, directions, scheduling, music recommendations, and foreign language translation. A representative of LG Uplus said, "I have not heard about the partnership model with other companies." Meanwhile, Naver representative said, "We are in discussions with LG Uplus and Clover in matters other than AI speakers."


By Kim Soo Yeon newsnews@


[ copyright ⓒ The Digitaltimes ]