South Korea unveils a project with KT, SK Telecom, and Kakao to provide premium AI tools to the public for free, a move that treats AI like a public utility (Jiyoung Sohn/Wall Street Journal)

South Korea announced a joint initiative with telecom firms KT, SK Telecom and Kakao to deliver premium AI chatbot services to the public at no cost, framing AI as a public utility. The program aims to steer users toward domestically developed chatbots, eliminating reliance on U.S. or Chinese providers and covering all usage fees with unlimited token access.