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B^ DISCOVER: What Happened to Kakao Brain’s AI Content Generator?

Ever tried visiting bdiscover.kakaobrain.com recently, only to find it mysteriously vanished or the app missing from your store? You’re not alone—and here’s the kicker: the promising AI-powered platform, B^ DISCOVER, is no longer online.

Despite having been touted as one of Kakao Brain’s most innovative generative AI products when it launched in 2022, B^ DISCOVER has quietly disappeared from the digital landscape. No shutdown announcement. No farewell blog post. Just silence.

So what was B^ DISCOVER all about? Why did it fade out without a trace—and could it have survived in today’s booming AI scene?

Let’s unpack the story of B^ DISCOVER: its rise, its quiet fall, and where it went wrong.

What Was B^ DISCOVER?

B^ DISCOVER was an AI image+video generation platform developed by Kakao Brain, the AI research arm of Korean tech giant Kakao Corp. The platform made waves in late 2022 by allowing users to create visually stunning content from simple text prompts—a capability enabled by Kakao Brain’s proprietary diffusion model known as Karlo.

It was an intuitive, mobile-friendly product that stood out for a few key reasons:

• Text-to-image and text-to-video tech powered entirely by Kakao Brain’s Karlo model
• A sleek app interface, bridging the gap between professional-grade generative AI and casual content creation
• Search and exploration tools like "Guide" and "Explore," making it easier for users to refine prompts and discover styles

By the end of 2022, the platform was live on Android, iOS, and accessible through bdiscover.kakaobrain.com. Early user reviews called it “limitless,” and comparisons with DALL·E 2 cropped up frequently in app store comments.

But less than two years later, the service is gone.

Why Did B^ DISCOVER Fail?

Short Answer:

Despite its initial potential, B^ DISCOVER failed due to a combination of limited global traction, unclear monetization strategy, and intense competition in the crowded generative AI space.

Long Answer:

Digging deeper, the failure of B^ DISCOVER likely resulted from a mix of strategic missteps, tough market conditions, and underwhelming scale. Here are the most probable reasons:

1. Lack of Global Focus and Market Fit

While DALL·E, Midjourney, and Runway have global appeal with strong communities on Reddit, Discord, and YouTube, B^ DISCOVER remained largely confined to Korean markets. Its UI, documentation, and app store presence were geared toward domestic users, limiting cross-border adoption.

In a field where virality and creator ecosystems matter, B^ DISCOVER didn’t generate enough international buzz or UGC (user-generated content) momentum to sustain growth.

2. Monetization Uncertainty

Unlike competitors like Midjourney (which runs on a successful subscription model via Discord) or Runway (which has B2B and B2C revenue streams), B^ DISCOVER never made clear how it would make money.

There were no pro-tier offerings, no creator incentives, and no ads—raising the question of how Kakaobrain intended to support the platform long-term.

3. Heavyweight Competition

At launch, B^ DISCOVER looked innovative. But just a few months later, OpenAI’s ChatGPT+Images, followed by Midjourney's v5 model and Runway's AI video editing tools, began dominating the generative content space.

B^ DISCOVER struggled to differentiate itself beyond South Korea, especially since Karlo, while robust, lacked the brand recognition of DALL·E or the photorealism of Midjourney.

4. Lack of Ecosystem and Community

Generative AI platforms thrive when users form communities to share prompts, techniques, and prompt engineering hacks. Midjourney’s Discord is legendary for this. B^ DISCOVER had no such visible ecosystem.

Without a dedicated community or toolchain integrations (like Discord bots, Figma plugins, or API access), creators had little incentive to stick around.

5. Parent Company Prioritization

Kakaobrain itself is thriving—in fact, it's doubling down on healthcare AI, LLMs, and enterprise applications, according to recent reports. In this context, a consumer-facing creative app like B^ DISCOVER may have been deprioritized, especially if it wasn’t contributing strategically or financially.

It’s possible B^ DISCOVER was quietly sunset as the team reallocated resources to more scalable AI initiatives.

How Does It Compare to a Successful Competitor?

Let’s compare it to Runway, one of the most successful AI video generation platforms globally.

In essence, Runway succeeded where B^ DISCOVER faltered: broader reach, clearer monetization, strong community, and tools tailored for creators who could build careers on the platform.

Final Thoughts: Lessons from B^ DISCOVER’s Quiet Exit

The story of B^ DISCOVER is not one of catastrophic failure—it’s the tale of a well-built, short-lived product that lacked staying power in a hypercompetitive arena.

It’s a reminder that:

• Great tech isn’t enough—without clear monetization, community engagement, and global expansion, even impressive tools can fade.
• Parent company priorities matter—if a product doesn’t align with long-term strategy, it can be quietly sunset.
• AI is evolving rapidly—without fast iteration or differentiated offerings, yesterday’s cutting-edge can become obsolete in months.

While B^ DISCOVER may no longer be around, its legacy lives on in Kakao Brain’s broader vision for AI—and in the lessons learned from moving fast and innovating hard in the rapidly shifting world of generative tech.

FAQs About B^ DISCOVER

Who founded B^ DISCOVER?
B^ DISCOVER was created by Kakao Brain, the AI R&D subsidiary of Kakao Corp., one of South Korea’s largest internet and messaging companies.

When did B^ DISCOVER come out?
It launched publicly in November 2022, available on both Android and iOS, as well as on the web at bdiscover.kakaobrain.com.

When did B^ DISCOVER shut down?
While no official shutdown was announced, the service appears to have gone offline sometime between late 2024 and early 2025.

How much funding did B^ DISCOVER raise?
The platform did not raise funding as a standalone entity. However, its parent, Kakao Brain, has raised significant capital as part of Kakao Corp’s AI investments.

Why did B^ DISCOVER fail?
Short answer: It lacked international traction, monetization, and community engagement in a highly competitive market for generative AI tools.

Is Kakaobrain still operating?
Yes. Kakao Brain remains active and is now focusing more on healthcare AI, multimodal models, and LLM research.

While B^ DISCOVER may have disappeared, its story is far from wasted—for anyone building in the AI space, it’s a powerful case study on the importance of execution, focus, and evolving with your users.