00:06KT just opened its AI agent platform to outside developers, and usage jumped sixfold in a week.
00:13A quarter of Korea's registered crypto operators have dropped out in less than two years.
00:19The first pureplay Western humanoid robotics startup is about to go public at a $2.5 billion valuation.
00:26Google just cut-edge AI chip power use by 40%, a platform shift worth knowing if you're building on-device
00:34AI.
00:35It's Friday, October 16th. Let's look at what this means for startups and entrepreneurs in Korea.
00:41Korea's tech platforms and regulators are both reshaping the ground startups build on this week.
00:47Telecom incumbents are racing to turn AI agents into open developer platforms rather than closed apps,
00:54while crypto regulation keeps tightening without new revenue paths opening up.
00:59Overseas, deep tech sectors like humanoid robotics and edge AI chips are reaching new commercialization and public market milestones
01:07that Korean founders in adjacent fields will be compared against.
01:10Here's what the numbers show.
01:12KT's revamped MyKT app saw per-user interactions rise roughly sixfold within a week of launch,
01:19with AI agent usage up about fivefold.
01:22KT opened its product data to outside AI platforms, including ChatGPT plugins,
01:28and planned similar integration with other AI services.
01:32Registered virtual asset service providers in Korea fell to 28 by the end of September,
01:37down from 42 at the start of last year.
01:39Wallet and custody operators posted a combined 18.6 billion won,
01:45about $13.8 million, operating loss in the first half, double the prior half's 9.3 billion won.
01:53Agility Robotics will list on NASDAQ in mid-November at a $2.5 billion valuation,
01:59backed by more than $300 million in existing order backlog.
02:03Google's new edge AI chip cuts power consumption 40%,
02:07a shift aimed at enabling always-on AI in wearables.
02:11So, what does this mean for startups and entrepreneurs in Korea?
02:15Earlier, we said KT opened its AI agent platform to outside developers.
02:20Here's what that actually means for you.
02:23Korean founders building consumer AI products now have a distribution channel
02:27through telecom-scale platforms instead of having to build an audience from zero.
02:32At the same time, crypto founders face a narrowing path,
02:36with VASP registrations shrinking and no sign of the digital asset framework
02:41that would unlock institutional capital.
02:43So, treat regulatory clarity there as a multi-year wait, not a near-term catalyst.
02:50KT's next AI platform integration announcement will show how far beyond ChatGPT the rollout goes.
02:56The November 20th deadline for existing VASP holders to refile under tightened rules is the next checkpoint for crypto operators.
03:05And Agility Robotics' NASDAQ debut in mid-November is the first real market test for humanoid robotics valuations.
03:12That's today's AI Prism.
03:15Founders.
03:16This episode was produced with AI assistants based on Seoul Economic Daily reporting and reviewed by a human editor.
03:24AI Prism is a Juan Ifra award-winning series.
03:27We'll be back tomorrow.
03:28You've been listening to AI Prism from Seoul Economic Daily.
03:34You've been listening to AI Prism from Seoul Economic Daily.
