What Should You Read Before Visiting an Art Museum? Kyobo Book Centre Launches AI “Picks Agent”

[Financial News] “Recommend a book to read before going to an art museum.” This is one of the sample prompts for the AI book recommendation service launched by Kyobo Book Centre. Enter a sentence about your mood or interests that day, or why you want to read, and the AI will select books based on your request.
According to Kyobo Book Centre on the 12th, “Picks Agent” has been available through its online store since the 10th. After applying a large language model (LLM) to “Picks,” its personalized book recommendation service, in March, Kyobo has now expanded its recommendation approach to include conversation.
Recommendations draw on topics and books selected by merchandise directors (MDs) for each category, as well as members’ purchase and interest histories. Even for the same question, results vary depending on the genres or authors a user usually enjoys. The service also suggests which books to read first based on the user’s reading level and interests.
In a survey of its members conducted by Kyobo Book Centre from Jan. 14 to 18, 55% of respondents said they were most hesitant when they were unsure whether a book would suit their tastes. Among AI recommendation methods, “recommendations tailored to readers’ tastes by analyzing reading data” was the most frequently selected.
In one of the examples it made public, broadcaster Lee Geum-hee asked for books that could help improve communication between senior and junior colleagues, and the AI selected Kim Yun-na’s “The Density of Questions.” The reason given was that it could help readers learn ways of asking questions that draw out others’ thoughts and feelings. For Lee Dong-won, chief producer of SBS’s “Unanswered Questions,” who was looking for works about the desires and contradictions of ordinary people, it suggested Lim Hyun’s short story collection “Their Interests.”
When Miyoung Jeon, co-author of “Trend Korea,” asked for a book similar to “Young Writers’ Award Winners’ Collection,” the AI recommended “2026 Kim Seung-ok Literary Award Winners’ Collection.” Lee Mi-ye, author of “The DallerGut Dream Department Store” series, asked for a book that would offer a fresh perspective on everyday things people pass by without a second thought, and was recommended Georges Perec’s “Things Below the Ordinary.”
Users can also select the four people’s questions on the event page and try them as written. After logging in to the Kyobo Book Centre website, users can open the chat window by clicking the icon next to the search bar or the prompt on the home screen. The recommendations cover books published in Korea, including translated titles.
The comment event celebrating the launch of the service runs through Dec. 10. All members who leave a comment about their experience or the recommendations they received will get a 500-won e-voucher, redeemable on orders of 10,000 won or more. One winner in the “Best Use” category will receive an iPad, and two winners in the “Discover Your Taste” category will receive e-book readers.
Jang Gi-wan, head of Kyobo Book Centre’s e-commerce support team, said, “We designed it so that when you’re unsure what to read, you can chat comfortably, as you would with a familiar bookstore employee, and find books that suit you.” He added, “We will continue to improve the quality of our recommendations based on customer feedback.”

[email protected] Jang In-seo Reporter