KT to Use AI in Fight Against Rising Spam Messages

Seoul, South Korea - KT (NYSE: KT) announced the launch of a new AI-powered spam-blocking service that will be available free of charge to all subscribers. 

The service, developed over a three-year period in which KT's AI system learned from an average of 1.5 million spam messages per day, can automatically identify and remove spam messages with 99% accuracy. 

The AI system is expected to block an additional 10 million spam messages annually while reducing spam processing time by 50 percent compared to manual methods.

In addition to filtering messages blocked by KT, the AI spam blocker allows users to add specific numbers and keywords they want to block. 

The move comes as South Korea grapples with a surge in financial losses due to vishing (voice phishing) and smishing (SMS phishing) scams. 

According to the Financial Supervisory Service, the average loss per victim reached KRW 17 million (USD 12,800) in 2023.

KT plans to introduce more security measures this year, including an IP-based real-time spam blocking system in the first half of 2024, followed by an AI and big data-driven spam risk indicator service later in the year. 

The company also works with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to block phone numbers suspected of being used for voice phishing (vishing) or smishing (SMS phishing) scams.