SK Telecom is set to fully push for the monetization of its AI assistant service "adot." The initial focus will be on the "adot note" service, which transcribes and summarizes real-time speech, and a paid model is expected to be applied soon.
On the 29th, SK Telecom posted an announcement on its website regarding changes to the "adot terms of use and privacy policy," informing users about the revisions necessary for monetization.
The company noted, "We are expanding the range of note services and newly defining liability clauses," adding, "New regulations for payments, cancellations, and refunds have been established due to the partial introduction of a paid service." According to the Telecommunications Business Act, it is necessary to provide one month's notice for changes in terms, so the monetization is expected to occur after October.
"adot" has surpassed 10 million subscribers within 22 months of its official launch, with the monthly active user count reaching 8.1 million. The "adot note" provides AI-powered real-time transcription and summarization features for voice conversations such as calls and lectures, offering users 600 minutes of free usage per month. In comparison, the rival service Naver's "Clova Note" is free for general users, but applies a paid plan for corporations.
SK Telecom had already hinted at the possibility of monetization from early this year. In a conference call announcing performance results in February, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Kim Yang-seop mentioned, "A subscription model-based monetization is likely to be possible within the year." He further stated that AI Business Strategy Director Kim Ji-hoon said, "The subscription product foundation is in place," and added, "We are also reviewing bundled products with other subscription services." Following the resolution of the hacking incident that occurred in April, it is interpreted that the company's anticipated "money-making AI" strategy is becoming fully operational.
Meanwhile, on the 27th, SK Telecom upgraded the model embedded in the "adot" search service from GPT-4.1 to GPT-5.