SK Telecom launches AI service at Seoul hotel

By Kim Han-joo

SEOUL, Aug. 9 (Yonhap) -- SK Telecom Co., South Korea's top mobile carrier, said Thursday it will provide its artificial intelligence (AI) assistant platform to a hotel in Seoul.

NUGU -- an advanced voice recognition service that allows hotel room guests to control lighting or use various concierge services -- will be partially adopted at Grand Walkerhill Hotel in eastern Seoul.

SK Telecom said NUGU will first be available in 44 hotel rooms and be expanded throughout the hotel by the end of the third quarter.

The customers can give commands, such as "please set the room temperature to 24 degrees Celsius," instead of using remote controls, the company said.

"This service will serve as an opportunity for SK Telecom to expand its AI service to the B2B hotel service sector," said Park Myung-soon, a SK Telecom official.

Earlier, SK Telecom's smaller rival KT Corp. started providing its AI platform, GiGA Genie Hotel, at the newly opened Novotel Ambassador Hotel & Residence in Dongdaemun in central Seoul.

GiGA Genie Hotel is a follow-up to GiGA Genie, an AI home assistant service that is designed to help make users' everyday lives easier through services ranging from scheduling to food delivery.

khj@yna.co.kr
(END)