Kakao said on the 16th that it will introduce a "ChatGPT chatbot" feature that can be used during conversations in KakaoTalk chat rooms. Now, users can easily ask the ChatGPT chatbot questions inside a chat room and receive corresponding answers in real time.
The newly introduced ChatGPT chatbot can be used in KakaoTalk group chats and one-on-one chats. In chat rooms with family, friends, and acquaintances, tap the menu at the top right and select "Chatbot" to add the ChatGPT chatbot. Then, in the chat input field, mention the ChatGPT chatbot with the "@" symbol and write the desired prompt (command). You can also tap the "ChatGPT" button exposed on the "keyboard toolbar" at the bottom of the input field and then enter your text.
For example, if you type "@ChatGPT tell me today's weather" or "@ChatGPT write a birthday message," ChatGPT will provide an immediate answer within the chat room. Subsequent conversation can continue through the "ChatGPT for Kakao" service, which opens by tapping "See more" below the reply bubble.
Currently, prompts can be entered only as text, and image generation is also supported. If you request something like "@ChatGPT draw a sea landscape," it provides an image that matches the user's intent as a reply. In addition, to make the chatbot feature easy and quick to use, representative commands such as "News," "Horoscope," and "Popular questions" are placed at the top of the input field, and when the chatbot replies, it directly mentions the user who asked in the chat room so that a clear answer can be delivered, the company said.
Kakao introduced ChatGPT for Kakao in Oct. last year, developed in collaboration with OpenAI. As of May, cumulative subscribers to ChatGPT for Kakao surpassed 11 million. Alongside this, the company said it is working to expand the AI agent ecosystem by advancing "Kakao Tools," an AI agent that integrates with various services inside and outside Kakao.
Along with this, Kakao is rolling out various updates to improve the convenience of using KakaoTalk. First, it will change the message input field to float at the bottom of the screen so the flow of conversation appears more natural, and documents written in Markdown format—such as titles, lists, and emphasis—can be viewed in their original style. It will also improve "Channel collection" so that coupon benefits from various KakaoTalk channels can be viewed in order of highest discount amount, and add a "Channel coupon" card to Wallet. In addition, it will add a Game Chip in the "More" tab to offer popular H5 (HTML5) games across various genres without requiring a separate app installation. These updates are available in the latest KakaoTalk version (v.26.5.0 or higher).