LG to roll out AI-powered CLOi GuideBot within year

LG Electronics' new CLOi GuideBot embedded with Google's Gemini is exhibited at The Shilla Hotel in central Seoul on Thursday. [LG ELECTRONICS]

LG Electronics will roll out its CLOi GuideBot model equipped with Google’s large language model (LLM) Gemini within the year, the electronics maker said on Thursday.

The company unveiled the robot for the first time at the Google Cloud Summit Seoul 2024 held at The Shilla Hotel in central Seoul on Thursday, showcasing its AI chatbot functions, including natural responses to users’ voice inquiries and image generation based on voice commands.

LG plans to release the new LG CLOi GuideBot within the year and extend Google’s generative AI capabilities to existing guide robots via wireless software updates.

Before, CLOi robots served in visitor guidance, marketing promotion, security and docent roles based on preregistered data, but had limited responses to questions outside of its preprogramming.

The new robot model deployed with Gemini features multimodality, allowing it to receive commands in various forms such as text, voice, imagery and coding. Therefore, it can provide natural responses to spontaneous questions through internal searches, resulting in a more accurate reply.

For instance, with Gemini, the GuideBot becomes more flexible in answering similar but differently styled questions. Previously, the robot could only give a fixed answer drawn from its database to the question of “What are the operating hours?” but with Gemini it can also answer to questions such as “Until what time can I enter?” or “Are you open today?”

LG expects that robots embedded with generative AI will evolve to perform more creative and complex tasks. The global AI robot market size is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 25 percent, reaching $64.35 billion by 2030.

Through the collaboration, LG aims to accelerate the formation of an AI robot ecosystem by combining data accumulated in diverse sectors, from airports to hotels, restaurants, hospitals, retail stores and smart logistics warehouses.

“LG will lead customer experience innovation in the future robot field by leveraging the synergy between LG’s advanced AI robot technology and big tech companies’ AI platform technology,” said Noh Gyu-chan, head of LG Electronics’ robot unit, in a statement on Thursday.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]