Kakao will host a large-scale technology conference on October 13–14 to unveil its artificial intelligence vision and make a direct case to the market and shareholders about the growth potential of its AI business, the company said.
Kakao conference agenda and format
Kakao announced on the 7th that if(kakao)26 will take place both online and offline at the Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province. Now in its eighth year and carrying the slogan “Connections Meet Intelligence,” the event aims to show how AI can expand each user’s capabilities by adding intelligence to Kakao’s existing connection experience, while addressing responsibilities and operational standards for technology in the AI era.
The first-day keynote will be delivered by Kakao CEO Chung Shin-a under the theme “From Connections for All to Intelligence for One,” introducing Kakao’s AI direction and related services. Following her, Kim Dae-nyeon, head of design, will present on designing context-aware AI service experiences. Noh Byeong-seok, performance lead for the Unified Foundation Model, will discuss the current status and future plans of the Kanana model that supports agentic AI, and Chief Technology Officer Song Jae-ha will address technical requirements for safe and responsible AI.
More than 50 technical sessions will follow, with developers from Kakao and its affiliates speaking on topics including AI direction, mutual growth, and models and agents, sharing experiences from actual services and development environments. The second day, October 14, is themed “When Technology Becomes Trust” and will cover governance, stability and infrastructure, and the AI-driven development life cycle (AI-DLC).
The program includes expanded participant experiences such as fireside chats on how AI has transformed development processes and responsible technology operations, after-sessions for in-depth Q&A with speakers, and keyword-based networking by role and interest area. Registration is open from September 7 through noon on September 28 via the official website. Major sessions will be livestreamed and full recordings released as video-on-demand after the event.
A Kakao official said: “This if(kakao) event is an opportunity to present the new value Kakao will create by adding AI technology to the connection experience we have built, and to share the standards and responsibilities under which that technology must operate.” The official added, “We will continue to expand Kakao’s essence—connection—more safely and valuably, based on trustworthy technology and AI operational experience.”
Kakao split and shareholder backlash
The conference comes as Kakao seeks to counter market distrust following a corporate split plan approved by its board on the 21st of last month. Under the plan, the company will divide into Kakao AI and Kakao X: Kakao AI will oversee AI, advertising and commerce businesses centered on KakaoTalk, while Kakao X will manage techfin, content and mobility affiliates and invest in future businesses.
The split ratio, based on net asset book value, is 0.36 for Kakao AI and 0.64 for Kakao X. The plan calls for completing the split in January next year after an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting scheduled for December 17.
Market reaction was negative immediately after the announcement: the stock recorded a double-digit intraday decline that day, and multiple securities firms lowered their target prices and investment ratings. Distrust stems in part from Kakao’s history of “piecemeal listings,” where profitable businesses such as Kakao Games, KakaoBank and Kakao Pay were spun off into separately listed subsidiaries—moves shareholders say eroded value.
This split differs from past spin-offs in that existing shareholders will receive shares in both companies according to the split ratio. Nonetheless, shareholder activist platform Act has publicly raised concerns that the benefits of the split have not been sufficiently demonstrated. According to preliminary shareholder voting results released by Act on the 7th, 99.97% of participating shares voted in favor of “opening a campaign to respond to the split,” and 100% supported “requesting detailed analysis from Act Research.” Act has, however, decided to give Kakao an opportunity to first present measures to enhance shareholder value rather than immediately launching an opposition campaign.
