SK Telecom’s AI assistant ‘aster’ to feature connection to major apps

Seoul: SK Telecom’s envisioned artificial intelligence (AI) assistant service for global users will likely feature connections to popular online applications, such as Google Calendar, sources said on Thursday.

The AI assistant, named aster, is expected to help users create to-do lists and make reservations for transportation and accommodations based on their schedules on Google Calendar, according to the sources, reports Yonhap news agency.

Aster is an advanced AI agent designed to help users organise their daily routines through features like planning, execution, reminders and advice. It is scheduled to be officially launched in North America in the second half, following the start of a beta service in March.

It will operate autonomously as an “agentic AI,” capable of making complex decisions and taking actions based on conversational interactions with users.

SK Telecom is also considering integrating aster with other popular online applications, such as the business review website Yelp and taxi-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft.

Additionally, the Korean company is working to incorporate the AI search engine Perplexity into aster.

“We will decide what kind of application programming interface to adopt for our actual service after receiving consumer feedback from our beta service for North American users in March,” an SK Telecom official said.

Earlier this month, the company said it will begin a beta service of its artificial intelligence agent “aster” in March, targeting North American customers. SK Telecom said the North American launch will serve as a test of its AI agent service in the global market.

“Unlike other AI agents, which simply provide answers to users’ needs, aster takes actions in response to users’ requests and plans,” SK Telecom said.

—IANS