IT firms create AI, AR content for kids
A model and two children give a demonstration of KT's AI-based service that helps parents tell fairy tales to their children more dynamically at KT Square in central Seoul, May 3. / Courtesy of KT
By Jun Ji-hye
IT firms are increasingly grafting future technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR) onto their products and content for children in a bid to better respond to continuous growth of the market targeting youngsters.
According to the KT Economics and Management Research Institute, the scale of the market targeting children was estimated at about 38 trillion won ($36 billion) in 2015, up from 27 trillion won in 2012 and 8 trillion won in 2002.
The institute said this growth has resulted from the increasing number of husbands and wives both working, which has raised demand for products and services for taking care of their children.
Earlier this month, KT, the nation's biggest fixed-line internet operator and second-largest mobile carrier, added various AI-based services for children to its GiGa Genie AI speaker, unveiling its goal of increasing the number of users to 1.5 million by the end of the year.
The services include a voice-activated audio book function and another function that helps parents tell fairy tales to their children more dynamically. For example, when parents say “A frog sings a song,” the GiGA Genie device recognizes it and makes the sound of a frog croaking.
The firm also plans to release AR content used with dinosaurs by the end of the month.
For its internet protocol television (IPTV) service, KT is offering a free-to-air channel that airs popular animated series for children such as “Pororo.”
Top mobile carrier SK Telecom has mounted its NUGU AI platform on its mini phones designed for children, while the largest portal operator Naver has released Aki, a watch-shaped wearable smartphone for children, mounted with AI technology. Aki offers GPS tracking and location information based on AI, according to the firm.
Last year, LG Uplus added YouTube Kids to its IPTV service in an effort to strengthen its content and increase the number of users.
YouTube Kids is a video streaming app from YouTube, offering video content suitable for children from entertainment and music to education and experiments. Launched in 2015, the service is used in more than 30 countries by more than 10 million users a week.
Strengthening children's content has led to an increase in the number of users and sales of the mobile carrier's IPTV service, the firm said, noting that sales at the IPTV division last year were posted at 745.6 billion won, up 21.8 percent year-on-year. The number of users during the same period was tallied at 3.54 million, up 15.6 percent year-on-year.