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KakaoTalk adds AI, social media services in biggest facelift in 15 years

Published: 23 Sep. 2025, 17:02 Updated: 23 Sep. 2025, 18:49

Kakao CEO Chung Shin-a delivers a keynote speech during the If Kakao conference at the Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 23. [KAKAO]

Kakao unveiled the biggest overhaul of KakaoTalk in its 15-year history on Tuesday, adding long-requested chat functions and embedding AI services, including ChatGPT.

At its annual developer conference, "If Kakao," held at the Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi, Kakao CEO Chung Shin-a said the scale of the changes was unprecedented.

“This level of change is the first in KakaoTalk’s history,” Chung said. The updates began rolling out to users later that day.

New chatting features

KakaoTalk will now allow users to edit messages within 24 hours of sending them. Edited messages will show a “modified” tag underneath. This comes after the company extended the deletion window for messages from five minutes to 24 hours earlier this year.

KakaoTalk has introduced a new feature that allows users to edit messages within 24 hours of sending them. [KAKAO]

Voice Talk, the app’s call feature, will now offer a recording function and built-in AI summaries through Kakao’s assistant service “Kanana.”

The Open Chat tab at the bottom of the app will be replaced with a new “Now” tab, combining short-form video content and community features. Kakao said the goal is to create a space inside KakaoTalk for users to share and discuss content without switching to other social media platforms, similar to how people already do on Instagram and Facebook.

AI shift

A new “ChatGPT” tab will appear at the top of the chat screen, giving users direct access to GPT-5, the latest model from OpenAI. The feature integrates with Kakao services such as Kakao Gift and Kakao Map.

For example, if a user types “My mother’s birthday is in October. Recommend a gift around 100,000 won [$72],” ChatGPT will suggest products from Kakao’s gifting platform. Kakao partnered with OpenAI in February.

Yoo Yong-ha, Kakao’s head of AI agent platform performance, said the new service will let users “carry out tasks immediately without navigating complex menus or switching between apps.”

Yoo Yong-ha, Kakao’s head of AI agent platform performance, speaks during the ″If Kakao″ conference at the Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi, on Sept. 23. [KAKAO]

The company also introduced “Kanana in KakaoTalk,” an AI agent that proactively assists users by analyzing chat context. If a group chat includes messages about "a Friday dinner in western Seoul" and the need to "bring a cake for 10 people," Kanana will suggest nearby venues that allow outside cakes and link to reservation pages.

Kakao had previously kept Kanana as a separate app, citing privacy concerns. This time, the service uses on-device AI to ensure that data stays on the user’s device. Kakao said Kanana deletes data immediately after completing tasks such as summarizing calls or unread chats.

The feature is currently supported only on the iPhone 15 Pro and later, with Android support to come.

“We consider data security our highest responsibility and will strictly safeguard user information,” Chung said.

Why it matters

KakaoTalk remains Korea’s dominant messaging app with 50 million monthly active users, but its average user engagement has been declining. Kakao has also faced setbacks in AI, including losing out in the state-led development of Korea's proprietary AI foundation models earlier this year.

The company hopes the overhaul will help reverse those trends by combining practical user functions with AI-driven services.

“We tried to include many of the features long requested [from users],” Chung told reporters. “There may be some short-term drawbacks, but ultimately we wanted to add functions people will enjoy.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM MIN-JEONG [[email protected]]