Today, SK Telecom, South Korea’s largest telco, announced a partnership with U.S. AI startup Perplexity to offer an AI-powered search engine to its users. This move aims to provide an alternative to dominant search engines like Google and Naver. According to Reuters, the partnership will not only allow SK Telecom subscribers to use the paid version of Perplexity for free but also give SK Telecom access to Perplexity’s proprietary models. This access will enable SK Telecom to develop personal AI assistant products with real-time information.
While the specifics of the partnership, such as the timing of the rollout of Perplexity Pro version to SKT users, have yet to be determined, SKT’s investment team expressed openness to expanding the partnership financially. In an interview, Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivas described the collaboration as a “win-win situation” since it allows SK Telecom to offer more value to its subscribers while providing Perplexity with access to SK Telecom’s distribution channels.
Perplexity, seen as a potential challenger to Google, utilizes generative AI models to answer user inquiries and provide sources of information. Just last month, the company raised $73.6 million from investors, including Nvidia and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The funding round, led by venture capital firm IVP, valued Perplexity at approximately $520 million.
According to Similarweb data, Perplexity’s website and mobile web recorded an impressive 45.6 million visits in December. The AI search engine offers both a free version and a paid version, which charges users $20 per month for unlimited searches.
This partnership is not the first time SK Telecom has joined forces with Silicon Valley startups in order to access cutting-edge technology. Last year, SK Telecom announced a $100 million investment in U.S. AI model maker Anthropic. The goal of this investment is to develop a large language model specifically tailored to the telecom industry.
With this new partnership with Perplexity, SK Telecom continues to demonstrate its commitment to harnessing the power of generative AI. By offering its subscribers access to an AI-powered search engine, SK Telecom aims to enhance its user experience and keep pace with technological advancements.
In an era where AI is increasingly integrated into our daily lives, partnerships like this one between SK Telecom and Perplexity offer consumers more options and competition in the search engine market. As the development of AI-driven technologies continues to accelerate, it will be interesting to see how these partnerships and innovations shape the future of search engines and AI assistants.
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