Seoul: South Korea’s top mobile carrier SK Telecom Co. has announced a strategic collaboration with OpenAI to introduce a promotional event for ChatGPT Plus subscribers. The initiative aims to enhance user engagement by offering discount coupons to new ChatGPT Plus users, allowing them to use the service free for two months with a one-month subscription. This marks OpenAI’s first collaboration of this kind with a local mobile carrier.

According to Yonhap News Agency, SK Telecom has been nurturing its partnership with OpenAI, having co-hosted a hackathon in 2023. Both companies are actively involved in the MIT GenAI Impact Consortium alongside six other businesses. This ongoing collaboration underscores SK Telecom’s commitment to a dual strategy of developing its proprietary AI model while fostering relationships with international partners.

In recent developments, a consortium spearheaded by SK Telecom was chosen as one of five teams to receive government support for the development of domestic AI foundation models. This is part of South Korea’s ambition to establish itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence.

Lee Jae-shin, head of SK Telecom’s AI strategy, emphasized the company’s dual approach: “By bolstering the two-track strategy of seeking global ties and self-empowerment, we plan to expand a customer-oriented AI ecosystem.” This strategy reflects SK Telecom’s vision to create a robust AI infrastructure that caters to the evolving needs of its customers.