7 Emergency Dispatches a Month... AI Speaker 'Jini' Saving Lives (Comprehensive)

KT AI Care Service 1 Year Since Launch
From Emergency Dispatch to Today's Weather Inquiries
Focus on B2G Model... Plans to Expand to B2C in the Future

KT announced on the 27th that it will integrate an ABC (AI·Big Data·Cloud)-based digital platform into the KT AI Care service and expand the target areas. The photo shows Lee Kyung-ryeol (first on the right), an elder from Bonghwang-myeon, Naju-si, taking a commemorative photo with an AI speaker. Photo by KT

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] "Over the past year, on average, about seven emergency dispatch requests have been received per month."

Kim Tae-young, Executive Director in charge of KT DX Platform Business, stated at an online briefing on the 27th explaining KT's 'AI Care Service', "Currently, excluding welfare centers for the disabled, a total of 546 households are using the AI Care Service through contracts with local governments."

Previously, KT introduced the AI Care Service in April last year to 100 elderly living alone households in Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City. The service was officially launched around May. Elderly living alone can benefit from this service by preventing solitary deaths, managing health and emotional well-being, and improving convenience in daily life. Recently, the business has expanded to areas such as Daejeon, Busan, and Naju. Although the main business model is the business-to-government (B2G) model with companies and local governments, there are plans to expand to business-to-consumer (B2C) products in the future.

KT AI Care Service is provided through the AI speaker Giga Genie LTE2. When users shout "Genie, save me" in an emergency, a 24-hour rescue is possible through the KT Telecop-119 linked system. It can be used even in homes without wired internet installed.

Through KT AI Care Service, services such as medication alarms, health management through cognitive impairment prevention games, AI companionship conversations, Genie Music, and conversations with KT CS professional counselors to alleviate loneliness are also provided. It is also possible to enhance safety management functions through integration with the AI speaker and various Internet of Things (IoT) sensors. Kim Young-min, the team leader in charge of AI Care Service, said, "We have not set a specific B2C price yet, but there are plans to expand in the future," adding, "For Genie Music, we will create products specialized for the elderly so they can receive benefits at a more affordable price." Existing Genie Music members can use the service with their current accounts.

Is there any resistance to the unfamiliar AI speaker? The acceptance speed among the elderly is said to be faster than expected. Executive Director Kim Tae-young said, "'Thank you, well done' accounts for more than 10% of the words elderly people say to the AI speaker 'Genie'," adding, "They accept the AI speaker faster than general concerns."

KT AI Care Service also helps actual rescues based on emergency alert functions. Following a bleeding accident involving an elderly person in Oncheon 1-dong, Dongnae-gu, Busan in December last year, emergency calls were made on the Giga Genie LTE2 device during emergencies in Seo-gu, Gwangju, and Naju, Jeollanam-do in March, leading to rescues through local happiness welfare teams or KT Telecop-119 linked responses.

Kim Young-sik, Executive Director of KT DX Platform Business Headquarters, said, "KT is continuously expanding AI Care Services to fulfill its ESG management responsibilities and to improve social issues such as Korea's aging population and shortage of care workers," adding, "We will continue to actively utilize KT's digital platform capabilities to accelerate digital innovation in the care sector."

Meanwhile, KT is also expanding care services for vulnerable groups using care robot Dasom and AICC, in addition to the Giga Genie LTE2-based AI Care Service.

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