[Report] "Subway AI Interpreter... Reliable Support for Foreigners"

Support for 13 Languages, 11 Stations Installed
Functionality to Improve Through AI Repetitive Learning
Resolving Workforce Shortage Remains a Challenge

On the afternoon of the 20th, as soon as I entered the subway gate bustling with foreigners, a screen displaying 13 languages caught my eye. This place, where various languages could be heard here and there, was in front of the Customer Safety Office at Myeongdong Station on Line 4 in Jung-gu, Seoul. “I am looking for the hotel at Exit 3,” a foreign tourist asked a staff member directly in Spanish, and the staff responded in Korean, not Spanish.

1: On the 19th, at Myeongdong Station on Line 4 in Jung-gu, Seoul, a foreign tourist is asking a staff member for directions in Spanish through an AI interpretation system, saying, "I am looking for the hotel at Exit 3."
Photo by Shim Seong-a

The subway artificial intelligence (AI) interpretation system, which has been expanded and installed since last February, is a system where foreign tourists and subway station staff communicate in their native languages with a transparent screen between them, and the languages are interpreted and displayed on the screen. The supported languages include 13 languages: Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai, Malay, Indonesian, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, and Russian.

In addition to interpretation, additional services such as subway route search, transfer and travel time information, and fare guidance are also provided in English. The project, which started at Myeongdong Station in early December last year, received positive feedback on site and was significantly expanded to 11 subway stations in Seoul. Currently, it is available at Jongno 5-ga Station on Line 1, City Hall Station, Hongik University Station, Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station, Gangnam Station on Line 2, Gyeongbokgung Station on Line 3, Myeongdong Station on Line 4, Gwanghwamun Station, Gimpo Airport Station on Line 5, Itaewon Station, and Gongdeok Station on Line 6.

Introduction of Seoul Subway AI Interpretation System for Foreign Tourists

The 11 stations where the AI interpretation system was installed were selected based on the “2023 Single-ride Foreign Passenger Usage Status” compiled by Seoul Metro. According to the statistics, the number of foreign passengers was highest at Myeongdong Station on Line 4 with 401,819 people, followed by Hongik University Station on Line 2 with 257,989 people, and Euljiro 1(il)-ga Station on Line 2 with 199,450 people. A Seoul Metro official explained, “We conducted on-site inspections at places with many foreign users and selected the most effective locations considering the flow and structure to install the system.”

Polina Girina (20, Russia), who spoke with staff through the AI interpretation system at Myeongdong Station, said, “It was difficult to communicate in English while traveling in Korea,” and added, “Being able to talk in a comfortable language will be helpful for foreign tourists.” Ayumi Shibata (26, Japan), whom we met at Jongno 5-ga Station on Line 1 in Jongno-gu, Seoul, also said, “When I came to ask for help from the staff, there was a tablet labeled ‘Japanese,’ so I used it,” expressing satisfaction, “I don’t know English or Korean, so having this kind of service is convenient.”

Seoul Metro improved its technology based on data accumulated through the pilot project of the AI interpretation system operated at Myeongdong Station. Efforts are being made to enhance the system, such as applying noise reduction technology to solve noise recognition problems and translation obstacles within the station. A staff member at Gyeongbokgung Station on Line 3 in Jongno-gu, Seoul, said, “Previously, noise and other conversations in the station were also recognized, but after the function improvement, only the necessary words are recognized,” adding, “Customer service time has been reduced.”

Of course, there are still challenges in terms of functionality. It is difficult to accurately recognize subway station names written in Hangul, such as ‘Gyeongbokgung Station’ or ‘Gwanghwamun Station,’ because foreigners pronounce them differently. A Seoul Metro official explained, “We plan to further improve the engine once more by April 23, when the system construction is completed, by continuously training it on words that foreigners find difficult to pronounce and railway-related terms.”

On the morning (left) and afternoon of the 19th, only a Korean notice saying "Vacant due to staff shortage" is hung at the information desk where the AI interpretation screen is installed at Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Seongah Sim]

Operational Difficulties of AI Interpretation System Due to Subway Staff Shortage

The shortage of subway station staff is also affecting the operation of the system. Although most AI interpretation screens are installed in the Customer Safety Office where station staff are stationed, some stations installed the screens away from the Customer Safety Office, causing difficulties in staff allocation. On the morning of the 19th at Gwanghwamun Station on Line 5 in Jongno-gu, Seoul, there was only a Korean notice board saying “Staff is absent due to shortage” at the information desk where the AI interpretation screen was installed.

A Seoul Metro official explained, “At that time, all three staff members were on-site to resolve complaints,” but when revisited in the afternoon, there was still only a notice saying “Temporarily absent,” and the lights remained off. Unlike an AI chatbot (artificial intelligence that communicates via text or voice), the AI interpretation system recognizes and interprets only when a person speaks directly. If there is no staff member, only functions other than interpretation services can be used.

A similar problem occurred at Itaewon Station on Line 6 in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, around 5 p.m. on the 20th. Several foreigners were seen waiting for staff in front of the AI interpretation screen. Chen Li Zhong (23, Taiwan) said, “I came to ask for help because of a problem with card charging,” and added, “I waited about 10 to 15 minutes because there was no staff.” In response, an Itaewon Station official explained, “The station is large, but there are only 2 to 3 staff members, so the situation may vary depending on circumstances.”

Seoul Metro is aware of the staff shortage problem and is conducting various discussions to find solutions. A Seoul Metro official said, “If there is flexibility in staff operation, we are discussing measures to add social service personnel or staff,” and added, “In the future, we plan to develop the system to include an ‘AI station attendant’ function so that customers can be served with learned data instead of staff.”

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