AI Calls to Check In and Keep Company... Seoul City Launches 'AI Life Management Service' for Middle-Aged Single-Person Households Starting April

Reducing Loneliness and Preventing Social Isolation for Middle-Aged and Older Single-Person Households at High Risk of Solitary Death... Pilot Program Starting in April
AI Conducts Weekly 1-2 Check-Ins and Health Monitoring, Provides Daily Conversations for Emotional Stability... Monitors Crisis Signs

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 23rd that it will launch a tentative “AI Life Management Service” from April to manage loneliness and prevent social isolation among single-person households in their 50s and 60s, who are at high risk of solitary death. This initiative is one of the four key safety policies in the “Seoul Single-Person Household Safety Comprehensive Plan” announced by Mayor Oh Se-hoon in January, specifically under the isolation safety category.

According to Seoul City, starting in April, AI will make phone calls once or twice a week via mobile or landline to check on the well-being of individuals, such as whether they are eating well and sleeping properly, and will also manage daily activities like exercise, reading, and outdoor hobbies. The AI will serve as a conversational companion, helping to provide emotional stability to single-person households vulnerable to loneliness. In particular, if signs of crisis are detected through AI conversation monitoring, local government officials will immediately check the individual’s condition and coordinate support by linking with relevant agencies and public support services in various fields.

Seoul City will initially select about 300 middle-aged single-person households from 5 to 6 autonomous districts to conduct a pilot project starting in April. Through the pilot, improvements will be identified, and the technology will be verified and enhanced, with plans to expand support to 30,000 middle-aged single-person households citywide by 2026. The pilot project targets approximately 300 single-person households in their 50s and 60s, a group that has been relatively neglected compared to younger and older age groups. To this end, the city has conducted demand surveys in 25 autonomous districts, and 5 to 6 districts will ultimately participate in the pilot project.

Furthermore, based on the analysis of lifestyle patterns, needs, and monitoring results collected through the pilot project, Seoul City plans to link the service with public services and social network programs operated by the city and autonomous districts, and utilize the findings for future policy development for middle-aged single-person households. Middle-aged single-person households participating in the AI Life Management Service project will have opportunities to express their opinions through regular discussions with experts and related agency officials, and Seoul City will reflect improvements during the project process to enhance participant engagement.

The public recruitment period for private operators to carry out the AI-based life management service for single-person households is from the 24th of this month to March 14th, with a total project duration of six months. Companies, universities (including graduate schools), and research institutions interested in solving single-person household issues using AI technology can participate, including in consortium form.

Lee Hae-seon, Head of the Seoul Single-Person Household Special Measures Promotion Team, stated, “People who are socially isolated or feel lonely tend to have relatively low confidence and happiness and are vulnerable to diseases and various accidents. Through Seoul’s AI Life Management Service, we will support middle-aged single-person households to recover their daily lives and live confidently and healthily as members of the social community.”

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