Seoul, Apr 12 (IANS): Internet company Kakao said on Friday it has joined a global consortium that promotes open-source artificial intelligence (AI) research and development, becoming the first South Korean corporate member of the initiative.

Kakao said it is the first South Korean firm to join the AI Alliance led by global tech giants IBM and Meta, as part of efforts to help create a local AI ecosystem that meets global standards, reports Yonhap news agency.

The AI Alliance was founded in December by a range of organisations, from global big tech companies and startups to public institutes and universities, and currently has around 100 members.

The consortium aims to accelerate open innovation across the AI technology landscape to improve foundational capabilities, safety, security and trust in AI.

The AI Alliance plans to develop and deploy benchmarks and evaluation standards, tools, and other resources that enable the responsible development and use of AI systems at global scale.

"We will cooperate with the AI Alliance to create a safe and credible open-source AI ecosystem that meets global standards," Kim Kyung-hoon, head of Kakao's AI safety division, said.