Kakao is redesigning its AI strategy to embed AI deeply into KakaoTalk, creating a seamless user flow where AI understands context, remembers across Kakao services, and directly triggers actions rather than steering users to a separate AI app.

The company is shifting from standalone AI apps to a KakaoTalk–centric model that links AI with existing Kakao services, eliminating the need for a separate AI app.

Within KakaoTalk, Canana currently sits under the Friends tab offering First Talk on-device, schedule briefings, information searches, recommendations, and setting changes, with Kakao aiming to evolve it into an agentic AI that infers user intent and connects to purchases or services.

The if(kakao)26 conference, scheduled for mid-October at Kakao AI Campus in Yongin, will frame this strategy with sessions on understanding user context, cross-service memory, and AI assistants integrated into KakaoTalk.

Industry observers note KakaoTalk’s large user base could become a strategic advantage if AI advances from recommendations to enabling real actions like purchases or reservations.

Kakao plans to discontinue the standalone Canana AI app on October 15, 2026, after beta development, and repurpose its capabilities into Canana in KakaoTalk and other Kakao AI services.

Other Kakao AI efforts, such as AI National Secretary and Kakao Tools, demonstrate a broader push to connect user requests with external and internal Kakao services, turning conversations into actionable outcomes.