LG Electronics is accelerating open innovation by investing in the domestic AI startup Acryl.

LG Electronics recently acquired a 10% stake by participating in a paid-in capital increase conducted by Acryl. The number of shares is 336,000 common shares, and the investment amount is approximately 1 billion won.

Founded in 2011, Acryl is an AI startup specializing in emotion recognition with advanced technological capabilities. Jonathan, Acryl's proprietary AI platform, recognizes the questioner's emotions and provides appropriate responses to user inquiries, rather than simply offering knowledge-based variations.

LG Electronics plans to accelerate its robot business, which it is developing as a future growth engine, by collaborating with Acryl in the field of emotion recognition, one of the core technologies of robots.

This investment aligns with LG Electronics' open innovation. LG Electronics is preparing for future businesses not only through proprietary technologies in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous driving, but also through collaboration with external partners including universities, research institutes, and startups.

Earlier this year, LG Electronics acquired a 10.12% stake in the robot developer Robotis. Since last year, it has been collaborating technologically with the wearable robot startup SG Robotics.

Kim Seong-wook, Senior Vice President of Global Open Innovation at LG Electronics, emphasized, “We will lead the market by thoroughly preparing for future businesses through open innovation that strengthens cooperation with external partners.”