Kakao has strengthened the place search feature of Kanana, an AI service that runs inside KakaoTalk. The core is that it has expanded the existing focus on restaurant recommendations into travel, culture, and daily convenience, and lets users complete everything from recommendations to discovery, sharing, and reservations within a single conversation.
Kakao said on the 9th that it updated the place agent for Kanana in KakaoTalk on the 29th. With this revamp, users can receive recommendations for a wide range of place information—exhibitions, performances, movie theaters, tourist attractions, accommodations, gas stations, convenience stores, and auto repair shops—tailored to the context of their KakaoTalk conversations. Some places can be reserved directly within KakaoTalk.
For example, when chatting with a friend about weekend plans, Kanana first suggests options such as exhibitions, pop-up stores, or nearby getaway spots. Users can share the recommendations in the chatroom, decide on a place to visit together, and proceed to make a reservation. Kakao said user convenience has improved by reducing the need to switch between separate apps or webpages to find places.
The recommendation feature linked to schedules has also been strengthened. If a user registers a plan to visit a certain area with Kanana, the daily morning schedule briefing will also provide information such as popular restaurants in that area, parking information for the destination, and menu details. After a place recommendation, follow-up questions that users might ask are automatically presented. For instance, after recommending a unique café, it helps users continue exploring with more specific conditions, such as places with good night views or spots that allow pets.
Kakao plans to expand to KakaoTalk the composite place recommendation feature currently offered in Kanana in KakaoMap. When users discuss something like a "1-night, 2-day trip to Gangneung," it will suggest accommodations, tourist attractions, and popular restaurants as a bundle. The company is also considering a feature that links travel itineraries with KakaoMap to display places to visit by time slot on a map.
This update is part of Kakao's agentic AI strategy. Agentic AI refers to AI that goes beyond simply answering users' questions to understand intent and context, autonomously connect necessary functions, and assist with execution. Kakao plans to strengthen consolidation with internal services such as KakaoMap and KakaoTalk Reservations, while also expanding collaboration with external partners.
A Kakao official said, "With the enhancement of the place agent, recommendations, discovery, sharing, and reservations can now be handled within a single conversational flow," and noted, "We will continue to expand agentic AI experiences that help users achieve their goals."