Kakao to Host ‘if(kakao)’ Next Month, with CEO Shina Chung to Unveil AI Vision

[Financial News] Kakao will unveil its artificial intelligence (AI) strategy and technology vision at the if(kakao) conference next month. Kakao CEO Shina Chung will personally introduce the company’s AI direction and related services, while Kakao will share its Kanana model, agentic AI, responsible AI, and development experience.
Kakao said on the 7th that it will host the if(kakao) conference for two days, from October 13 to 14, at Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province.
if(kakao) is an event where Kakao Group presents its technology vision and shares the technological achievements it has accumulated with the developer community. In its eighth year, the event will adopt “Intelligence in Every Connection” as its slogan. Kakao plans to present a vision of combining AI with its accumulated experience in connecting people to expand each user’s capabilities and potential, while also outlining its approach to responsibility in technology in the AI era.
On the first day, CEO Shina Chung will deliver a keynote speech titled “Connection for Everyone, Intelligence for Each Person.” She will introduce Kakao’s AI direction and services that reflect it.
Kim Dae-nyeon, Kakao’s design lead, will then share approaches to designing experiences and design principles for AI services that understand context. Noh Byung-seok, a performance leader for the Unified Foundation Model, will present the current status and future plans for the Kanana model, which forms the foundation of agentic AI. Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Song Jae-ha will discuss the technical requirements for implementing safe and responsible AI. Following the keynotes, around 50 technical sessions featuring developers from Kakao and its affiliates will take place over two days.
On the second day, October 14, discussions will continue under the theme “When Technology Becomes Trust.” Beginning with a welcome session by CTO Song, the program will cover governance, stability and infrastructure, as well as the AI-Driven Development Life Cycle (AI-DLC), which innovates the entire development process around AI.
Programs will also allow participants to interact directly with speakers and other developers. In the “Fireside Chat,” speakers from Kakao and its affiliates and external panelists will exchange views on responsible development and technology operations, including changes brought by AI to the development process and standards needed for continued AI use. The event will also feature “After Session” programs, where participants can ask presenters additional questions, and “Keyword Networking,” which will facilitate interaction based on participants’ roles and areas of interest.
Applications will be accepted on the official if(kakao) website from the 7th through noon on the 28th. Participants will be selected by lottery, with individual notifications sent after October 1. Major sessions, including the keynotes, will be livestreamed online, and videos of all sessions will be made available as video on demand (VOD) after the event.
A Kakao representative said, “We will continue to expand Kakao’s core value of connection in a safer and more meaningful way, based on trustworthy technology and our experience operating AI.”


[email protected] Choi Hye-rim Reporter