SovereignAI, More Companies Need to Challenge Fundamental Technologies

[Financial News] "If you want to do true sovereign artificial intelligence (AI), you need to pursue competitive AI in areas that others are not doing, focusing on basic science technology and 'Korean-style AI' that only our country can do, rather than following trends or fads."
On the 5th, Yoo Seung-jae, CEO of PersonaAI, said, "Fundamental technology is not originally glamorous, but more companies like us need to challenge fundamental technologies," he said. PersonaAI is a company pioneering a new path that others have not taken through 'Edge AI'. Edge AI is a technology that allows AI embedded in a device to process on its own without the cloud. It is sometimes used interchangeably with on-device AI and can implement AI without a graphics processing unit (GPU). Achieving extreme lightweight technology is the core of PersonaAI's edge technology. It can even generate and process images and videos in environments without the internet. With this technology, PersonaAI received the Innovation Award in the AI category as the only Korean company at the world's largest consumer electronics show 'CES' held in the United States this year. CEO Yoo said, "The CES site has very slow internet," adding, "Thanks to this, people kept flocking to see our technology that works without the internet."  
After CES, CEO Yoo is pursuing cooperation to equip PersonaAI's engine in China's humanoid robots. CEO Yoo said, "Existing robots relied on human control due to the lack of a GPU, but by equipping our engine, it can recognize voice and judge situations on its own without a GPU," adding, "The AI engine will play the role of the brain." He is confident that edge AI technology can become a leading technology. It does not require expensive GPUs and is bound to be widely used in fields where security is important, such as finance and defense. He also sees that engines using edge AI technology will be used in the augmented reality (AR) glasses market, which is currently attracting attention. CEO Yoo said, "The AR glasses business will be a groundbreaking field that will change the paradigm," adding, "With just one glass, many industries can gain opportunities and develop."
CEO Yoo jumped into entrepreneurship in 2017, even before ChatGPT came out, recognizing the potential in the AI field. After gaining various entrepreneurial experiences, especially honing his skills as an IT planner, CEO Yoo said, "I am always moving a little quickly." Starting with planning AI kiosks and AI speakers, PersonaAI has developed its own AI voice engine, natural language processing engine, and small language model (SLLM), and has also launched AI agents. It also provides various solutions in the AI CC field with major financial institutions as partners. PersonaAI is currently focusing on B2B (business-to-business) business with AI specialized for each industry but plans to expand into the B2C (business-to-consumer) market through the release of various services. 
PersonaAI has secured a stable growth foundation by attracting a cumulative investment of about 30 billion won so far and is planning an initial public offering (IPO). CEO Yoo said, "My original dream was to create a company that would survive even if I died after the IPO," adding, "In the future, based on my experience so far, I want to contribute to the Korean AI ecosystem moving in the right direction as a venture representative representing small and medium-sized enterprises and startups."



wongood@fnnews.com Joo Won-kyu Reporter