The era of 15 million pet families has begun. Amid the continuous growth of the pet market, SKT is enhancing the medical welfare of pets by commercializing the first AI-based pet X-ray image diagnostic assistance service in Korea.

SKT announced on the 25th that it will unveil 'X-Caliber,' an AI-based veterinary imaging diagnostic assistance service, at the Seoul Veterinary Clinical Conference. SKT held a preliminary briefing session for the launch of 'X-Caliber' through a media conference on the 22nd.

'Excalibur' is a web-based image diagnostic service created by consolidating SKT's capabilities, combining the 'X' from X-ray and infinite possibilities with 'Caliber' signifying excellence. It has currently obtained approval from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency for animal medical imaging detection assistance software, the only one of its kind in Korea.

When X-ray images of 17 types of a pet dog's musculoskeletal and chest taken at a hospital are uploaded to the cloud via Excalibur, AI analysis results, including the presence of abnormal findings and location information, are provided to the veterinarian within approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute.

An SKT official stated, “The veterinary market is growing due to improved public perception of companion animals. However, compared to this external growth, the pace of digital transformation is relatively slow.” "SKT has introduced a service incorporating its AI technology by reflecting interviews and feedback from working-level employees," they said.

■ Dataset Development & AI Modeling… SKT Consolidates AI Capabilities

SKT announced that, based on the technological capabilities it has accumulated for AI modeling and performance optimization, it has conducted △AI dataset development △AI modeling and performance optimization △and service clinical trials.

First, SKT established a collaboration system with five veterinary colleges and built a high-quality dataset using proprietary technologies such as active learning and data augmentation.

In particular, SKT stated that Excalibur achieved a disease detection rate of 84% to 97% by ensuring objectivity through collaborative clinical trials with veterinary experts. Dr. Oise, the representative director of SKY Animal Medical Center, cited improved quality of medical care and increased reliability of treatment as the expected benefits of Excalibur, stating, “Based on the information provided by ‘Excalibur VET AI,’ veterinarians can diagnose more comfortably and accurately compared to the existing methods.”

In addition, “unlike existing remote readings that took up to 24 hours due to processes such as re-referrals, analysis results can be confirmed within one minute, enabling rapid diagnosis; furthermore, by improving guardians' understanding, we can expect increased trust and a reduction in medical disputes.”...added. It is available as a monthly subscription service for 300,000 won, which is evaluated as having lowered the price burden.

Meanwhile, as Excalibur is a medical device for animals, pet owners cannot self-diagnose it, and it can only be used by veterinarians with verified licenses.

■ Expansion of diagnostic scope, additional participation of veterinary colleges… and even the pursuit of global expansion

SKT announced that it is currently developing additional abdominal and chest/abdominal items for pet cats to its 17 existing items, and plans to have more veterinary colleges, including Jeju National University, participate this year.

SKT stated, “Currently, X-ray is used in about 80% of the 4,000 animal hospitals, and we expect the number of animal hospitals to increase as the pet market grows further,” adding, “Our goal is to reach about 100 locations by the end of this year and eventually expand to cover up to 30-40% of the total market.”

In addition, there is a plan to pursue global expansion, focusing on countries with high acceptance rates such as the United States, Europe, and Asia.

In particular, Ha Min-yong, SKT’s Chief Business Development Officer, stated, “After Excalibur establishes itself in the domestic market, we will expand into business sectors targeting consumers as well as veterinarians across a wide range of areas related to pets, including medical care, grooming, food, exercise, and diagnosis.”