Microsoft Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella has returned to Korea for the first time in over two years to introduce the IT giant’s artificial intelligence innovation strategy and expand collaborations with key Korean firms.
Nadella delivered a keynote speech during the “Leading in the age of AI transformation” session at the Microsoft AI Tour in Seoul on Wednesday.
“AI is rapidly transforming the way people in Korea live and work,” the CEO said. “It is truly inspiring to witness Korean companies across industries such as consumer goods, energy, retail and telecommunications actively adopting AI to drive new growth and opportunities.”
During the event, he unveiled two AI agents — Researcher and Analyst — for the first time globally in Korea. These AI agents are built on Microsoft 365 Copilot, incorporating reasoning models that enable AI to analyze complex data, integrate diverse contexts and provide advanced problem-solving capabilities.
Researcher combines OpenAI’s o3 inference research model with Copilot’s deep search functionality, allowing businesses to conduct in-depth market strategy development, quarterly meeting research and other sophisticated analytical tasks.
Analyst leverages advanced reasoning models to assess fragmented data, enabling businesses to predict product demand, analyze consumer purchasing patterns and identify key sales trends, according to Nadella’s explanation.
These AI agents will be gradually introduced through the Frontier program, available to Microsoft 365 Copilot license holders starting in April.
Nadella also highlighted Microsoft’s partnership with KT Corp at the event. The two firms established a strategic alliance in September 2024, announcing a joint investment of 2.4 trillion won ($1.65 billion) over the next five years. The partnership aims to drive AI solutions and cloud service development while fostering domestic AI talent.
“I’m super proud we can partner with KT to really ensure that we can bring the next level of capability that is right there locally, built around our platforms to enable the rest of the Korean economy,” the CEO said.
During his visit to Korea, Nadella actively engaged with top executives from major domestic companies to explore expanded AI collaborations. On Wednesday, he met with LG Electronics CEO Cho Joo-wan and LG CNS CEO Hyun Shin-gyoon, as well as Korea Development Bank Chairman Kang Seog-hoon.
On Tuesday, after arriving in Korea, the IT giant’s chief held discussions with Amorepacific Chairman Suh Kyung-bae and CEO Kim Seung-hwan. Additionally, at KT’s Seoul office, he met with the telecom carrier CEO Kim Young-shub and HD Hyundai Executive Vice Chairman Chung Ki-sun.
https://m.theinvestor.co.kr/article/10450881
