LG Uplus and YouTube target Gen Z with AI shorts competition

The partnership signals a strategic shift where South Korean telcos act as distribution layers for global AI services to combat market saturation. By integrating Google’s generative AI into consumer content cycles, LG Uplus is attempting to lock in high-engagement users through creative productivity rather than just data connectivity. This sets a precedent for how streaming platforms and mobile carriers can co-opt user-generated content to validate new tech stacks. Watch the total view counts for winning submissions as a proxy for how effectively AI-assisted content can compete with traditionally produced shorts in the YouTube algorithm.

The video competition is part of a broader deepening of the strategic alliance between LG Uplus and Google. Per reports from Ajupress and MK in June 2026, the carrier recently launched a bundled subscription through its 'Yudok' platform that combines YouTube Premium with 'Google AI Pro' (powered by the Gemini 3.1 Pro engine). This 29,000-won-per-month package is the first in South Korea to link a generative AI subscription directly with ad-free video viewing, offering a 34% discount compared to separate billing.

This movement is not isolated. During Mobile World Congress in March 2026, the country's three major carriers — SK Telecom, KT, and LG Uplus — explicitly declared their pivot from network operators to "AI companies." While LG Uplus is leaning into Google integrations and its own 'ixi-O' AI call agent, competitors are taking alternative paths. SK Telecom is currently testing its proprietary 'A.X K1' large language model and offering OpenAI's ChatGPT Plus as a plan benefit, while KT launched its 'AX Alliance' in June 2026 to focus on enterprise-grade AI transformation and 6G infrastructure tailored for low-latency AI applications.

For LG Uplus, the focus on short-form video serves its 'Uth' brand, which targets the high-consumption teen and 20s demographic. In the 2025 competition, 77% of participants were from this age group. To further drive adoption, the company is subsidizing the learning curve by providing online production guides and a 10,000-won discount for a 'Google AI Pro' bundle to those entering the festival, per DigitalToday in June 2026.