Kakao Targets 6 Trillion Won Revenue for AI Expansion by 2030

Kim Do-young, head of the Kakao Group Investment Strategy Office, outlined the roadmap during a meeting with minority shareholders. The company intends to demonstrate several KakaoTalk-based AI agents at its developer conference this October. These tools are designed to interpret user intent from conversation context, allowing individuals to execute services—such as making purchases or navigating maps—without leaving the messaging interface. Beyond the 6 trillion won total target for KakaoAI, the company expects approximately 1 trillion won to be generated specifically through these AI-driven services.

This shift is part of a broader corporate restructuring approved in August, which will split the company into KakaoAI and KakaoX on January 1, 2027. KakaoAI will retain the KakaoTalk platform, advertising, and commerce operations, while KakaoX will manage investment functions, fintech, content, and mobility. KakaoX has set a separate 2030 revenue target of 10 trillion won, with plans to explore virtual assets, robotaxis, and physical AI. Despite the organizational split, the firm is developing an integrated membership program to ensure cross-service benefits remain available to users, maintaining cohesion between the two entities.