Poster informing elderly Gyeonggi-do Province residents about helpful AI chat services (Photo by Gyeonggi Provincial Government)

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming a part of daily life in Korea as the government embraces it for welfare, environmental, scientific and other purposes.

One notable initiative in Gyeonggi-do Province is an AI calling service for those age 65 and older. This service, started on June 19, makes phone calls to elderly citizens mainly living alone to monitor their well-being and help them combat loneliness.

There are about 2,050,000 seniors within the targeted age group in the province that surrounds Seoul. The service harnesses a large language model (LLM) to integrate generative AI to make the calls. If the recipient does not answer, the AI makes up to three additional calls. If all attempts fail, personnel from the social and welfare service department of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government step in, attempting direct contact to check on the individual’s well-being. Welfare service providers can also make in-person visits to verify the situation in case of an emergency.

Over the span of two months, some 800 people have benefitted, the Gyeonggi Provincial Government said. About 15 clear cases of distress were identified and support was provided for medical expenses, meals and consultations with health centers.

AI is also poised to play a crucial role in responding to climate change-induced disasters. The Ministry of Environment is planning to introduce an AI-based flood forecasting system. This can also help advance climate disaster forecasting and alerts, allowing a greater lead time of six hours from the current three hours.

There was a tragic incident on July 17 at an underground tunnel in Osong, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, where 14 people lost their lives after flood waters rushed inside because of heavy rainfall.

AI can predict river and stream levels, enabling quicker responses to similar situations, according to the environment ministry.

Currently, a pilot AI system for predicting river levels has been put to use at Dorim Stream, Seoul. The ministry plans to implement the system at 223 locations nationwide next year by the time the annual monsoon season starts.

The AI technology has also been put to use for disease prevention research, in particular with regard to mosquitoes. To accurately identify disease-carrying mosquitoes and proactively use them for pest control, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced the development of an AI-based automated mosquito monitoring device on August 30.

Mosquitoes caught and collected are categorized through AI technology to use for future disease prevention research. (Photo by Ministry of Environment)

This method uses carbon dioxide to catch osquitoes, and their images are classified using AI algorithms. The ultimate goal is to provide such data as their specific species and location.

Previously, manual mosquito collection and visual (or imagery) classification took several days, but AI now enables rapid daily classifications with an impressive accuracy rate of 94.7 percent.

The KDCA stated that the ability of this technology to provide daily data on mosquito species and the frequency of appearance will enable swift responses to mosquito outbreaks, improve the efficiency and eco-friendliness of pest control and mitigate issues related to pesticide use.

This technology was introduced in September and is being used at health centers in three areas – Gangnam in Seoul, Dongtan in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do Province, and Heungdeok in Cheongju, Chungcheongbuk-do Province.