Kakao continues to transform everyday communication through innovative artificial intelligence features in KakaoTalk, as demonstrated by its latest updates that streamline conversations, automate personal assistance, and enable seamless access to advanced language models, ensuring users experience enhanced efficiency and convenience across all aspects of their messaging lives.
AI-Powered Conversation Summaries Tackle Message Overload
Kakao rolled out version 25.9.1 of KakaoTalk, introducing the AI Kanana summary feature that intelligently condenses unread messages in the ‘Unread’ folder, allowing users to grasp essential points from lengthy group chats or work discussions without sifting through hundreds of lines. Users activate this capability via the settings menu under More > Settings > Chat Screen > Kanana (AI) Summary, where the system analyzes accumulated dialogues and presents concise overviews that highlight key decisions, action items, and outcomes, thereby reducing the time spent catching up on piled-up notifications that often overwhelm busy professionals and social groups alike. In addition to summaries, Kakao enhanced open chat community searches by enabling keyword-based queries directly from the chat or now tab input fields, making it easier to locate specific discussions within vast networks of conversations. The emoticon keyboard underwent a complete redesign from a single-layout structure to a tri-panel format featuring search, emoticons, and mini tabs, which accelerates finding and inserting the perfect emoji during rapid exchanges, while the addition of a dedicated game play menu in the More tab provides quick access to interactive entertainment options right within the app.
Kanana in KakaoTalk Emerges as a Proactive Personal Assistant
Kakao prepares to launch Kanana in KakaoTalk fully in the first quarter of 2026, following a beta rollout to select iPhone Pro users starting October 16, 2025, where 61 percent of invitees joined and 87 percent installed the required on-device AI model Kanana Nano to unlock its powerful capabilities that interpret chat contexts with precision tailored to Korean nuances. This agent actively scans users’ conversations to deliver ‘Today’s Briefing,’ a daily message that extracts and reminds about critical schedules, appointments, and plans mentioned across threads, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks by leveraging Kanana Nano’s lightweight design that processes everything locally on the device without sending data to servers, thus preserving privacy while consuming minimal battery. For instance, when siblings discuss gifting a travel suitcase for their mother’s birthday, Kanana analyzes the dialogue, recommends suitable products from KakaoTalk’s shopping interface, and guides users straight to the purchase screen, seamlessly blending search, mapping, reservations, and e-commerce into one fluid experience that anticipates needs before users articulate them. Kakao’s AI Discovery leader Jihoon Kang emphasized during an October 28 briefing that future expansions will connect Kanana to external partners beyond Kakao’s ecosystem, such as third-party services for broader utility, while dismissing concerns over battery drain by highlighting the model’s efficiency and traffic optimizations that prevent bottlenecks during peak usage.
ChatGPT for Kakao Integrates OpenAI’s Power Directly into Chats
Kakao unveiled ChatGPT for Kakao on October 28, 2025, in partnership with OpenAI, empowering users to tap a dedicated button at the top of the chat tab and engage in natural, conversational queries ranging from simple facts to intricate problem-solving, all without leaving the familiar KakaoTalk environment that billions rely on daily. Existing OpenAI account holders log in effortlessly, while newcomers sign up via Kakao credentials or dive in anonymously, though free tiers adhere to standard usage limits that prevent overload, and responses integrate smoothly by sharing outputs directly into group or private chats for collaborative discussions. Through Kakao Tools, the service links to core platforms like Kakao Map for location queries—such as pinpointing croissant spots near Hapjeong Station—KakaoTalk Reservations for bookings, Gift Sending for purchases, and Melon for music recommendations, creating a unified AI hub that pulls real-time data and executes actions on behalf of users. AI Agent Platform leader Yongha Yoo affirmed that Kakao prioritizes data sovereignty by letting individuals control conversation storage and AI training opt-ins, safeguarding information under robust privacy policies from both companies, as this integration marks a pivotal step toward embedding AI as an indispensable daily companion rather than a mere tool.
These interconnected advancements—summarizing chaos, assisting proactively, and querying intelligently—collectively position KakaoTalk as the ultimate AI-driven messaging powerhouse, where users reclaim time, automate routines, and amplify interactions in ways that redefine mobile communication for the modern world.
https://www.ddaily.co.kr/page/view/2025102810270208102
https://www.newsis.com/view/NISX20251026_0003376955
https://v.daum.net/v/6T4JUSLxPy
