(LG) last week held webOS Summit 2024 in Incheon, South Korea, sharing its strategic vision and future initiatives for expanding the AI webOS ecosystem and growing its platform business. The second webOS Summit, which was titled “Empowering webOS with AI,” brought together 140 partner companies from 24 countries, including content creators, providers, and producers. The event also marked a major milestone: the tenth anniversary of the launch of webOS on LG smart TVs.
AI webOS plays a pivotal role in LG’s ambitious business transformation, shifting from a consumer electronics manufacturer to a Smart Life Solution Company. With a strategic investment of over KRW 1 trillion (USD 740 million), LG aims to significantly enhance the capabilities of its webOS platform and related businesses.
To achieve its strategic vision and elevate the value of its unique offerings, LG is continuously broadening the extensive selection of content and services accessible on AI webOS. The platform, which delivers exceptional experiences to LG TV users in over 180 countries, currently provides over 4,000 apps, including those for entertainment, home fitness, education and gaming.
By actively seeking out and securing the best talent in the industry, LG is also improving its content and service competitiveness. In addition to collaborating on game development with reputable higher education institutions like Sungkyunkwan University and New York University, the company recently held a global hackathon to discover compelling new games and AI-powered content suitable for AI webOS. LG has consistently strengthened its webOS platform business through licensing agreements with a variety of local and international businesses, selling a remarkable 220 million smart TVs over the past decade. LG first made webOS available to other TV makers in 2021, and since then, the versatile platform has been adopted by over 400 brands. The company is now poised to further expand the webOS ecosystem via an array of webOS-powered automotive infotainment solutions, digital signage, smart monitors, gaming monitors and projectors.
Additionally, the webOS platform is shoring up LG’s strong competitiveness in the advertising business. In 2024, revenue generated by advertising and services on webOS is projected to exceed KRW 1 trillion, which represents a fourfold increase from 2021.
With its Affectionate Intelligence vision for a more caring, empathetic and attentive AI technology, LG is continuously enriching and enhancing the customer experience. Affectionate Intelligence makes it easier for webOS users to control their devices and provides them with content and service recommendations that are tailored to their preferences and lifestyles. Through collaborations with innovative partner companies and the seamless integration of the latest technologies, LG is constantly refining its cutting-edge platform.
Along with informative presentations and demonstrations, webOS Summit 2024 featured an experience zone where attendees were able to see first-hand how powerful AI technologies are driving customer experience innovation on webOS. One of the many intelligent features offered on LG’s platform, AI Concierge employs voice recognition, search history and user data to provide customized app and viewing recommendations. Thanks to its ability to recognize different voices, AI webOS can take each LG smart TV user straight to their own personalized Home Screen without having to manually select their profile.
“Our webOS platform business continues to go from strength to strength based on close collaboration with our valued partners and an unrelenting focus on meeting the diverse needs of our customers,” said Park Hyoung-sei, president of the LG Home Entertainment Company. “Celebrating a decade of webOS innovation, and now enriching customer’s everyday lives with AI webOS, LG is accelerating its transformation into a leading media and entertainment platform company.”
