"Acceleration of Digital Technology Transition Including AI and Robots Worldwide Amid COVID-19 Pandemic"

Seoul Digital Foundation Publishes Report on 'Technology Trends Responding to COVID-19'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] In response to the pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), countries around the world are expanding the use of digital technologies across various fields. Digital transformation is being sought in all sectors of society, including infectious disease diagnosis and prevention, contactless (untact) services, and collaboration systems for remote work.

On the 26th, the Seoul Digital Foundation introduced cases of digital technology utilization in healthcare, social welfare, education and culture, and industrial economy sectors through its report titled "Digital Technology Trends in Response to COVID-19."

According to the report, countries worldwide are already applying digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robots in COVID-19 response, from infection diagnosis and confirmed patient movement tracking to prevention and management.

For example, Apple and Google have jointly developed a "Contact Tracing" technology based on Bluetooth that can identify people who have come into contact with COVID-19 patients, which will be installed on smartphones. In Singapore, robots equipped with cameras and video analysis devices walk around parks like dogs, warning citizens to maintain social distancing and measuring the park's population density.

As contactless services minimizing contact with others emerge as alternatives, delivery services and unmanned stores utilizing IoT, AI, and robots are gaining attention. Starship Technologies, which develops autonomous robots, operates an autonomous grocery delivery service in the United States and the United Kingdom that delivers products weighing up to 9 kg without delivery personnel.

With the rapid spread of remote work, the growth of online collaboration platforms is also remarkable. Platforms supporting video conferencing and remote work such as Slack, Zoom, and Teams are gaining popularity, and in particular, Zoom's daily users surged from 10 million at the end of last December to over 200 million in March this year.

Digital-based social participation is also expanding in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Online platforms are used for social contribution purposes such as idea collection and donation matching and management. In the United States, an online platform connecting people struggling due to COVID-19 with donors has emerged. When recommended beneficiaries from social organizations post their stories on the platform, donors help by purchasing the corresponding products from online shopping malls.

Seon-mi Park, senior researcher at the Seoul Digital Foundation, said, "The expansion of online and contactless services accelerated by COVID-19 is acting as an opportunity for the development of new industries." She added, "On the other hand, there is concern that digital exclusion among vulnerable groups such as the elderly who are not familiar with digital devices may deepen, so support measures to improve digital accessibility and utilization capabilities should also be considered."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.