Google's generative artificial intelligence (AI) service, Gemini, is struggling against OpenAI's ChatGPT in the Korean market. Gemini, which has less than 1% of the users of ChatGPT, is ramping up its marketing efforts, including using famous idols in advertisements to raise its profile in Korea.
◇ November Gemini app users ‘6,385’
According to mobile analytics platform Mobile Index on the 13th, last month's monthly active users (MAU) of Gemini in Korea was counted at 6,385. This marks an increase from October (3,637), but is a decline compared to August (8,826).
In contrast, OpenAI's ChatGPT has a domestic MAU of 2,577,339 during the same period, achieving record highs for 10 consecutive months since February of this year.
As a latecomer in generative AI, Google is focusing on enhancing Gemini's functionality. The latest AI model, Gemini 2.0, unveiled on the 11th (local time), features upgraded multimodal capabilities that can comprehend and process various data simultaneously, including text, images, and videos.
Building on this, Google plans to upgrade its search and assistant services, as well as integrate AI into productivity tools like Google Workspace to provide tangible productivity improvements for both individual users and corporations. The company also plans to gradually expand the countries and languages supported.
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, noted, "The advancement of multimodal technology will serve as a stepping stone toward Google's vision for a universal assistant," adding that "Gemini 2.0 is focused on transforming lives and work as a personal assistant, going beyond being a simple AI tool."
◇ “I didn't know Gemini was a Google service”
However, it remains uncertain whether Google's technological differentiation will yield significant results. As the year-end approaches, OpenAI is also ramping up its technological advancements, successively announcing new features, including the video-generating AI model Sora and the collaboration tool Canvas. The premium service, ChatGPT Pro, priced at $200 per month, supports large-scale tasks such as high-resolution video generation, bulk text analysis, and coding automation.
In particular, unlike ChatGPT, Gemini's low brand awareness poses a challenge in Korea. On the 11th, Google Korea released a variety show-style advertisement content, Gemini Kitchen, on YouTube as a means to overcome this. Featuring K-pop idols SHINee's Key, ITZY's Chaeryeong, and BTOB's Changsub, the ad showcases the process of searching for cooking recipes using Gemini and preparing year-end party dishes. This strategy serves to highlight practical applications of AI in everyday life through a friendly and entertainment-driven format.
Meanwhile, Google has been achieving results in the North American AI market, steadily increasing its market share. According to venture capital firm Menlo Ventures, Google's market share in the U.S. enterprise AI market rose from 7% last year to 12% this year. This is attributed to Google's successful integration of its AI services with its existing infrastructure, optimizing user experience.
Choi Byung-ho, a professor at Korea University’s Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, stated, "In Korea, ChatGPT has left a strong impression on the public like AlphaGo, where many people may not know the name OpenAI but are well aware of ChatGPT," adding that "Gemini has low brand recognition, and many often do not even realize it is a Google service."
He added, "In the U.S., Google services have established themselves as core infrastructure, so Gemini is used frequently both directly and indirectly. However, in Korea, the proportion of people using Google services is not high, which is why it inevitably falls behind ChatGPT."