AI to Handle 119 Emergency Calls Without Waiting... Seoul Becomes First in Nation to Introduce System

AI Callbot Introduced Since March
Handles Up to 240 Waiting Emergency Reports

Even during large-scale disasters or emergencies such as heavy rainfall, when 119 emergency calls surge, there will be no need to wait, as an AI callbot will handle emergency reports in Seoul.

On July 23, the city announced that it will pilot the nation’s first AI-based 119 emergency call reception system. This introduction of the AI callbot marks the first case among local governments nationwide of applying “high-impact AI” that actually operates in disaster response settings.

Monitoring AI callbots at the Seoul Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Center. Provided by Seoul City

The current 119 emergency call system has 720 lines, but when there is a concentration of simultaneous calls, the system often switches to an ARS (automated response system) waiting mode due to call overload.

With the introduction of the AI callbot, up to 240 waiting emergency reports can now be processed simultaneously. The callbot classifies urgent incidents and cases requiring immediate response, and connects them with priority to reception staff at the Seoul Comprehensive Disaster Prevention Center. If multiple similar reports are received from the same area, the system is also equipped with a function that analyzes the possibility of complex disasters such as fires or collapses, enabling early detection of risks.

Since the pilot operation began in March, 11,434 reports have been received through the callbot over four months, and among these, 2,250 were classified as urgent.

The city plans to expand this service, which is currently operated only during call surges, to apply to some emergency calls even during normal times, and to build an “AI-based comprehensive disaster situation information system.” The system will be expanded to provide real-time AI support for everyday disaster-related civil complaints, such as road flooding or poor drainage. System construction will begin this year, with pilot operation scheduled for the second half of next year. However, in consideration of the importance of emergency reports, a “dual monitoring” system will be implemented initially, in which human staff monitor AI responses in real time.

Kang Okhyun, Director of the Seoul Digital City Bureau, stated, “As AI has become a tool to protect lives, we must secure both the reliability of the technology and the trust of citizens,” and added, “Seoul City will harmoniously establish institutional foundations and a public AI ecosystem so that AI technology operates within the safety of citizens.”

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