Kakao CEO Chung Shina delivers a keynote address at the if(kakao) conference held at the Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on Sept. 23 last year. Captured from the if(kakao) website
Kakao (035720) will lay out its artificial intelligence technology and service strategy at a developer conference next month.
The company said on the 8th that it will hold if(kakao)26 for two days, Oct. 13-14, at the Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
Now in its eighth year, if(kakao) is an event where Kakao Group shares its technology vision and accumulated technical achievements with the developer community. This year, under the slogan “Connections Meet Intelligence,” the company will present a vision of expanding individual users’ capabilities and potential by applying AI to the connection experience it has built up. It will also outline the technological responsibilities required in the AI era and specific ways to meet them.
On the first day, CEO Chung Shin-a will deliver the keynote address under the theme “Connections for All, Intelligence for One,” introducing Kakao’s AI strategy and the services that reflect it. Kim Dae-nyeon, head of design, will share the experience design and design direction of AI services that understand user context.
Noh Byung-seok, performance leader of the unified foundation model team, will present the development status and future plans for Kanana, the model underpinning Kakao’s agentic AI. Chief Technology Officer Song Jae-ha will discuss the technical requirements and direction for safe and responsible AI.
After the keynotes, about 50 technical sessions featuring developers from Kakao and its affiliates will run over the two days. Speakers will share experience and insights from actual services and development work on topics including AI direction, shared growth, and models and agents.
On the 14th, the program moves to deeper technical discussion under the theme “The Moment Technology Becomes Trust.” Starting with a welcome session by CTO Song, presentations will cover governance, stability and infrastructure, and AI-DLC (AI-Driven Development Life Cycle), which reframes the entire development process around AI.
This year’s event also expands programs that let participants interact directly. In a Fireside Chat, officials from Kakao and its affiliates will join outside panelists to discuss responsible AI development and technology operations, including the changes AI has brought to development work and standards for sustainable AI use.
After the presentations, an After Session will give speakers and participants time for in-depth questions and answers. A Keyword Networking program will also let participants with similar roles and interests mingle freely.
The conference is open to anyone, with applications accepted through the official if(kakao) website until noon on the 28th of this month. Final participants will be selected by lottery from among applicants, and results will be sent individually through the official if(kakao) KakaoTalk channel after Oct. 1. Major sessions, including the keynotes, will be streamed live on the official website, and all session videos will be released as video on demand after the event.
A Kakao official said, “This if(kakao) is an occasion to present the new value we will create by adding AI technology to the connection experience Kakao has built, and to share what standards and responsibilities that technology should operate under,” adding, “We will continue to expand connection, which is Kakao’s essence, more safely and more meaningfully, based on trustworthy technology and experience in AI operations.”