KT bolsters ties with Canada’s Vector Institute for AI

Vector Institute CEO Tony Gaffney (center) is briefed by KT's AI2XL Research Center Director Bae Soon-min, at the telecom giant's R&D center in southern Seoul, Tuesday. (KT Corp.)

KT Corp. said Wednesday that it discussed bolstering its partnership with Canada's Vector Institute, a nonprofit firm dedicated to artificial intelligence research, to advance its latest AI technologies.

The two parties have already been collaborating in the area of AI research and business development since its partnership agreed in September last year.

On Tuesday, Vector Institute CEO Tony Gaffney visited KT’s R&D center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, during which more concrete steps were discussed to advance KT’s hyperscale AI model, called Mi:dm, as well as its wider adoption for education and other business areas.

Hyperscale AI refers to advanced AI based on deep learning that has been optimized to process and learn massive data sets. It is the foundation for the large language model used in OpenAI's ChatGPT, for example.

They reviewed the ongoing joint AI research project, with a particular focus on prompt engineering, one of the latest AI technologies that involves creating commands for AI models to generate optimal results.

The two parties have been exploring the best methodologies to incorporate such technologies into their business models.

“KT has been pouring resources into the advancement of AI technology. By bolstering ties with Canada's Vector Institute, we aim to accelerate our digital transition in the industry while enhancing the competitiveness of Mi:dm, our latest hyperscale AI model," said Bae Soon-min, senior vice president and head of KT's AI2XL Research Center.

“As one of the world’s leading AI research institutions, we will continue to collaborate with KT to deliver significant outcomes in the field of AI,” the Vector CEO was quoted as saying.

Later this week, the CEO is set to appear as a speaker at Mobile360 APAC, a global mobile communications conference co-organized by KT and the Global System for Mobile Communications Association or GSMA.