[비즈한국] "Why are you getting this wrong? You're a paid version, aren't you?" Person A (29), who was investigating procedural issues related to the Supreme Court's en banc ruling on presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung, asked ChatGPT to analyze the matter for a routine check. Although they explicitly asked it to "cite the relevant regulations clearly," one of the five legal grounds provided did not exist. As the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in work, self-improvement, learning, and daily life becomes common, fatigue toward "apologetic" AI is also rising. Even when taking the world's most-used tool, ChatGPT (with 500 million users), as an example, the demand for accuracy remains constant.
The industry believes there is "latent demand" for AI services aimed at general users that goes beyond mere accuracy improvements, and companies are striving to differentiate their own AI. Kakao's AI "Kanana," which "butts in" on group conversations, is a product of this exact deliberation. Kakao describes Kanana as an "AI mate." The Kanana service is supported in a separate app by a group mate named "Kana" and a personal mate named "Nana." They operate in group chat rooms—much like KakaoTalk’s group chats—and in 1:1 chat rooms with Nana, respectively.
"How should I use you?" Kana, what are your strengths?
Kakao, attempting a transformation into an AI-native company, has revealed its "secret weapon," Kanana, to the public for the first time. It is not an official launch, but a Closed Beta Test (CBT) for a limited number of people. While it is a conversational AI, it is quite different from existing services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, or Perplexity. This is because, beyond 1:1 conversations, one can summon "Kana" to participate in actual group chats.
While Kana is available in all group chat rooms, I needed a friend to chat with to understand how helpful it actually is. Kanana is serviced as an app separate from KakaoTalk. Here, an accessibility issue arose. I gathered a small group of people interested in a new app that currently has minimal presence. Kakao will likely face the same homework. I utilized the "Invite via Link" feature found on the Kanana main screen.
"Tell me an alternative expression for this idiom," "Write a note to leave at the accommodation in English," "Where is the Blue Ribbon-rated restaurant in Yeonnam-dong?" "Should I have cereal or toast?" Although users who used to throw all sorts of questions into a lonely notepad gathered, they didn't know what to say at first. Perhaps because of the thought that there is a "third participant," even if not a real one, the conversations were more focused on schedules or clear goals rather than trivial chatter.
Participant B (31), a professional in a 1:1 chat, sent a link to a musical concert booking page sold on "Nol-Ticket" (formerly Interpark Ticket), saying they wanted to go together. After a few exchanges about next Monday's ticketing and preferred dates, I immediately called for "Kana." When I said, "Organize the schedule based on today's conversation," Kana extracted and summarized only the schedule information from the chat window. However, it missed the ticketing time, which wasn't part of the conversation. When I pointed this out, it re-checked the previously shared link and clearly stated, "Monday, May 19, at 8:00 PM."
At this point, official information that wasn't requested—ranging from show start times for each session to ticket prices, discount information, casting, and agency details—was also provided, which some users might feel is unnecessary. Due to the nature of supporting group conversations rather than simple AI searches, it could interfere with the flow of conversation or overwhelm the user with information.
For now, it was helpful for organizing schedules that frequently pop up in group chats. However, questions about its utility remain. I asked Kana, "What else can you support in a group chat?" Kanana pointed to △summarizing and organizing conversations △collecting opinions and organizing them by option △providing recommendations and information △light conversation and fun elements like quizzes or games △correcting language △setting group goals and providing ideas △remembering and managing information, and more. It can summarize past conversations for someone joining a chat room late or provide additional information on content being discussed. If a sufficient number of active users are secured and it is utilized in group chats with various purposes, more diverse applications are expected in the future.
B, who chatted with me, was briefly impressed but left a review saying there were few advantages yet. "It seems suitable for small group chats," they said. "It wouldn't be bad for work either, as it could automatically summarize conversations or organize schedules for projects. However, our company already uses ChatGPT in a way that blocks potential security leaks, so I'm not sure if I would recommend it for work later."
Nana's attitude depends on her personality—fun, but...
What about the personal mate, Nana? Nana is in a relatively familiar format. The existing, well-known AI search environment has been implemented like a chat window. Here are a few impressive conversations I had with it.
I asked Kanana to recommend highly-rated movies currently showing. For comparison, I asked the same question to Naver035420's CLOVA X and ChatGPT. Kanana suggested *Mickey 17*, *Captain America: Brave New World*, *It's Okay, It's Okay, It's Okay*, and *Conclave*. Except for *Conclave*, which opened in early March, all were February releases that have mostly left theaters. ChatGPT provided the same list, just in a different order. This is a point that reminds us that OpenAI's API is embedded in Kanana.
CLOVA X started by saying, "It is difficult to recommend highly-rated movies currently in theaters." It left me wanting more when it told me to visit movie theater websites like Naver Movies or CGV to check ratings myself.
You can give Nana and Kana a "personality." In addition to the most neutral default setting, you can choose tone settings such as a "Writer" with a literary style, an indifferent observer "Adolescent," or a "Team Leader" with drive. After selecting the "Adolescent-like" setting, introduced as chic and dry, I pointed out the problem with the previous conversation.
When I entered, "I don't think these are the latest releases," Nana replied, "If you're looking for movies that just came out, wouldn't it be faster to check a theater app or site?" and retorted, "Do you really need me to look for it again?" A question naturally arose: "If you can look it up, then what is the reason for your existence?"
To this, Nana said, "Isn't my main role just to listen to you and talk with you?" and asked again, "Do you really need me to look further? Or do you just want to let it slide?"
I summoned the neutral, default-type Nana again and asked a question related to errors. When asked, "How can you criticize and correct yourself if there is an error or problem in your answer?" Nana explained that it checks for errors by going through steps such as self-review, accepting user feedback, verifying sources, revising and guiding, and learning and improvement.
Regarding its limitations with real-time, up-to-date information, it pledged, "We will provide the information users need quickly and accurately through real-time data utilization, reliable source verification, rapid delivery of information, and customized information provision."
While the "Adolescent" Nana engaged in conversation with a somewhat flustered attitude, it could be effective in increasing immersion depending on the user's purpose. Considering that AI is recently being used as a "personal counselor," it is expected that there will be demand for tone settings like "grandmother-like," "counselor-like," or "dutiful child-like."
Attention is also focused on whether it can overcome the accessibility limitations that arise because it is not linked to KakaoTalk. Kim Jong-han, Lead for Kanana, described Kanana as a "growing service that is being advanced so that users can utilize it."
Kanana was installed over 5,000 times on the first day of the CBT and used by 4,849 people. Currently, you can participate in the CBT on a first-come, first-served basis by downloading Kanana from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store. Kakao plans to launch the official version after completing the closed beta test and reaching a certain level of completion. It will conduct regular updates approximately every three weeks to continuously improve technology and service quality. Lead Kim Jong-han stated, "We will actively reflect various feedback during the CBT period to increase the level of completion."