LG Uplus app AI moves beyond Q&A to handle payments, roaming

LG Uplus is upgrading the artificial intelligence (AI) search engine in its customer app into an active agent that completes tasks rather than just answering questions, the company said Tuesday.

Korea’s third-largest mobile carrier is gradually converting the AI search in U+one, its all-in-one customer app, into what it calls an “actionable AI agent.” Through U+one, subscribers can check their plans and bills, make payments and sign up for services such as roaming and add-ons.

The company launched a bill payment agent in August and a roaming agent in September.

The previous AI search answered queries and then sent users to the relevant app screen. The new agents analyze customers’ actual usage data, recommend services and complete payments or sign-ups once the user confirms, all within a single conversation.

The bill payment agent answers questions such as “How much is my bill this month?” When a bill has changed from the previous month, it explains why by breaking down items such as roaming, add-on services, small mobile payments and device installments.

Users can pay without leaving the chat. For tasks that directly affect customers, such as payments, the AI first shows the details again and asks for final confirmation. It also warns users of possible double payments. Each step is logged so the cause of any problem can be traced.

The roaming agent recommends plans based on a user’s destination, travel dates and data habits. For example, a user planning a three-day trip to Matsuyama, Japan, who expects to watch a lot of video and use social media would be offered a plan that fits. The agent also provides travel tips and information on paying abroad.

The rate at which users signed up for a roaming plan recommended by the agent was about twice the rate under the previous AI search, the company said.

LG Uplus plans to add an agent that finds nearby stores in the fourth quarter. Next year, it will extend conversational agents across its major telecom services and add multilingual and voice features for foreign and elderly customers.

“The core of the U+one AI agent is helping customers easily finish what they need just by talking to AI, without hunting through complicated menus,” said the head of the company’s digital customer experience unit.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.