KT, Robot Platform for the Public, Enterprise, and Consumers
Customized service robot phased provision plan


On the 27th, KT held a 'Meeting with Promising Robot Companies' event at the Gongyument Cheongdam branch in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, with robot experts in attendance, and announced its 'Robot Platform' business plan. At the event, KT AI Robot Business Division Director Lee Sang-ho announced KT's service robot business vision, and AI2XL Research Institute Director Bae Soon-min moderated a panel discussion.

The panelists included Professor Dennis Hong of UCLA, an authority on robotics in academia, and Professor Beomjun Kim of KAIST. From the corporate world, there were Executive Director Daegyu Yoon of Hyundai Robotics, Vice President Eunkyu Lee of Sanghwa, Commissioner Jaewon Jang of LG Electronics, and CEO Jungwoo Ha of Bear Robotics. Only Director Sangho Lee of KT, Director Soonmin Bae, and four panelists attended the event on-site, while Professor Dennis Hong, CEO Jungwoo Ha, and two panelists from promising robotics companies and robotics students participated remotely.

KT CEO Lee Sang-ho predicted that the global robot market is expected to grow in four areas: electric vehicles (EV), medical and healthcare, logistics, and retail distribution and food and beverage. He continued, “The robot market, which is currently focused on industrial use, will be led by service robots starting in 2025,” and emphasized that KT will raise the level of the domestic robot market to the next level through service robots.

CEO Lee Sang-ho said, “The ‘KT Robot Platform’ combines robot manufacturers from various fields such as living, hobby, delivery, security, and industry with AI technology and 5G infrastructure to provide robot services needed by the public, corporate, and general consumers.” KT plans to introduce various service robots centered on three domains: delivery, care and food tech, and logistics. In addition, it plans to expand the scale of its business by targeting niche markets such as quarantine, disinfection, and barista.

UCLA Professor Dennis Hong explained that Verizon, the largest telecommunications company in the U.S., acquired a Swiss 5G robotics startup, saying, “Robots will become more integrated into our lives in the future through communication networks such as 5G.”

Hyundai Robotics Managing Director Dae-gyu Yoon emphasized the role of AI in robots by introducing an anecdote about the development of the AI hotel robot called ‘Giga Genie Hotel Robot.’ Since investing 50 billion won in Hyundai Robotics last year, KT has been pursuing multifaceted cooperation with Hyundai Heavy Industries Group.

LG Electronics' Jang Jae-won, a member of the committee, explained the sterilization robot selected as the 'Best of CES' in January of this year, and Sangwha's Lee Eun-gyu, a vice president, explained the effects of the barista robot on sales increase, etc. This event was broadcast live globally on YouTube Live Channel.

KT AI/DX Convergence Business Division Vice President Song Jae-ho said, “We planned a meeting with promising robot companies to check the trends in the global robot market and create a competitive robot ecosystem,” and “KT will maximize the value of service robots with a robot platform.”