SKT’s A. Surpasses 10 Million Monthly Active Users

[Financial News] SK Telecom announced on the 21st that its artificial intelligence (AI) service 'A.' surpassed 10 million monthly active users (MAU) in September. This figure nearly doubled in a year, up from 5.5 million MAU in October last year.
SK Telecom described this achievement as a symbolic milestone, demonstrating that A. is becoming mainstream as it provides users with a convenient AI experience and naturally integrates into their daily lives.
The company emphasized that this is the result of its 'AI Ecosystem Expansion Strategy,' noting that A. is emerging as the leading AI hub in Korea based on this approach.
The AI Ecosystem Expansion Strategy aims to deliver seamless AI experiences in users' daily lives by connecting A. to various services and platforms, moving beyond a single app-based service.
The expansion of A.'s AI ecosystem, which drove the MAU past 10 million, was largely attributed to the enhancement of internal services and the application of A. to external platforms, thereby increasing customer touchpoints.
In June of this year, SK Telecom launched the 'Note' and 'Briefing' services in beta, broadening A.'s use in everyday life. In fact, within a month of their release, the number of active users increased by nearly one million, reflecting strong customer interest.
Notably, in August, A. received a '4.0 update' that introduced the 'Agentic Workflow.' This advanced AI technique enables the AI agent to not only execute user requests as given, but also reinterpret them based on usage history and conversation context, set goals, and plan and carry out tasks. With this update, A. now offers a more personalized AI experience, and MAU grew by another million, continuing its rapid growth.
SK Telecom has also continued to enhance A. Phone by leveraging A.'s AI agent technology. In September 2023, the company added call recording and summarization features to the Android version of the 'Phone' service, followed by the same features for iOS in October. In October 2024, SK Telecom introduced 'A. Phone' by integrating A. with T Phone, which was well received by users. Additionally, A. has been integrated into everyday platforms such as B tv and T Map, allowing even those unfamiliar with AI services to experience A. naturally.
SK Telecom is also strengthening its AI Ecosystem Expansion Strategy through partnerships with domestic and global companies. In September, the company formed a partnership with the global schedule-sharing platform company TimeTree, and is working to apply A.'s AI agent technology to the TimeTree app.
SK Telecom views the achievement of 10 million MAU as a turning point for A. to become even more deeply embedded in users' daily lives and plans to accelerate the expansion of A.'s AI ecosystem. By further enhancing internal services, expanding to external platforms, and increasing collaboration with partners, SK Telecom aims to make A. an AI service accessible to everyone, anytime and anywhere.
mkchang@fnnews.com Jang Min-kwon Reporter