Dabeeo Drives Digital Transformation of Palm Oil Farms with AI… VP Kyu-sung Choi: “Leading the Shift to Smart Agriculture”
"Palm oil plantation management is challenging due to the vast areas and limited accessibility. Dabeeo has addressed this issue by combining high-resolution satellite imagery with AI technology, commercializing the world’s first AI analysis technology specialized for palm oil plantation management."
In an interview held ahead of the KAIST CAIO AI Leadership Forum 2025, which will take place at Yeoksam Posco Tower on the 3rd, Dabeeo Vice President Kyu-sung Choi discussed the company’s digital transformation services for palm oil farms.
Dabeeo is a geospatial AI company that integrates high-resolution satellite imagery and AI technology to provide precise analysis of various environments, including agriculture, forestry, and urban areas. Vice President Choi oversees overseas market expansion, drawing on his experience in commercializing AI-based smart farm solutions, as well as his previous roles as CEO of Balance Hero India and at LG Electronics’ Singapore and Argentina branches.
Dabeeo's AI technology for palm oil plantations consists of three main components. The first is palm tree detection using ultra-high-resolution (30cm) satellite imagery, which enables the identification and management of tens of thousands of trees individually based on their locations.
The second is change detection through the alignment of time-series satellite images, allowing automatic identification of changes such as disease, logging, or health deterioration at the individual tree level. The third is an AI system that determines fruit ripeness from mobile photos, enabling field workers to assess ripeness scientifically using only smartphone images of the fruit.
Vice President Choi emphasized, “These technologies are the first in the world to be commercialized for real-time decision-making on actual farms. Beyond technology development, they are significant in the industry as ‘business-oriented AI’ that customers pay for and actively use.”
Choi explained that the company’s achievements were made possible through a combination of technological capability, strategic partnerships, and clear management direction. Dabeeo has been developing AI analysis technology optimized for palm oil farms since 2022. A key factor was its strategic partnership with global satellite imaging company Airbus. According to Choi, Dabeeo is the only domestic company to receive technical support from Airbus for satellite imaging and related software in developing its AI model.
In addition to this technological foundation, Dabeeo focused on understanding the market by visiting farms in Indonesia and Malaysia multiple times to directly assess tropical growing conditions, management practices, and customer needs. Choi said, “We invested heavily in learning about the market through frequent field visits, which played a decisive role in creating a practical, field-oriented AI solution that goes beyond simple technology development.”
Dabeeo is commercializing a web platform called Dabeeo Eartheye Plantation and launched a mobile app (Eartheye Plantation Mobile) in June. Its customers include major palm oil farms in Indonesia and Malaysia.
In May, Dabeeo established a local subsidiary in Indonesia, marking the start of its overseas expansion. “Our primary focus is Indonesia, our home base,” Choi said, “and we aim to secure 10 of the country’s top 30 palm oil farms as customers within three years. We are also expanding our business by providing nearly identical services to eucalyptus farms.”
Choi also shared insights on the practical application of AI in industry. He noted, “Commercializing AI technology for real-world industrial use is far more complex than simply developing a model. What matters most is not the AI technology itself, but how effectively it solves specific industry challenges. From the user’s perspective, trust, explainability, and operational usability are even more important than the technology itself.”
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