"Solving On-Site Challenges with AI"... Science Ministry Launches Government-Wide AX Consulting

Ten Priority Projects Selected, Including Introduction of AI at Danuri Call Center
Support to Include AI Experts and Other Resources

The government is launching consulting services to support the artificial intelligence (AI) transformation of each ministry. Through tailored consulting—which will include business model development and technical support—the government aims to assist ministries in adopting AI.

On April 16, the Ministry of Science and ICT announced that it had held a government-wide AX (AI transformation) consulting kickoff ceremony at the Danuri Call Center of the Korea Healthy Family Promotion Agency in Mapo-gu, Seoul. The ministry also stated that it is officially commencing its cooperative framework.

Ministry of Science and ICT Logo. Ministry of Science and ICT

The ministry explained that government departments with traditionally low AI utilization had recognized the need to adopt AI, but often faced difficulties in implementation due to a lack of professional personnel and experience. The Ministry of Science and ICT will provide support—including AI experts and other resources—to ministries struggling with the concrete execution of AX.

Through the consulting program, the ministry will comprehensively provide: ▲ identification of AX projects and business model planning tailored to each ministry’s characteristics; ▲ technical support, including the use of AI models and infrastructure; and ▲ regulatory consulting to ensure AI safety and reliability. For this purpose, a total of 39 project requests were received from 15 government agencies in March.

This round of consulting will focus on 10 priority projects, selected based on factors such as public impact and consulting effectiveness. Among these, the project to introduce AI into consultations for foreigners at the Danuri Call Center was designated as a priority. Operated by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Danuri Call Center provides around 230,000 consultations annually in 13 languages, offering 24-hour services for emergency support for multicultural families affected by violence, family counseling, and comprehensive information.

Other priority projects include: ▲ expanding the construction and opening of library AI learning data (National Library of Korea); ▲ AI-based hospital and pharmacy locator services (Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service); ▲ establishment of an AI-based government-wide telephone consultation hub system (Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission); and ▲ development of an AI-based system to secure golden time for firefighting and a national safety response system (National Fire Agency).

Before the kickoff ceremony, Ryu Je-myeong, the Second Vice Minister of Science and ICT, and Jeong Goo-chang, Vice Minister of Gender Equality and Family, visited the Danuri Call Center to hear about the challenges faced by counselors and to discuss the introduction of AI. The counselors suggested that AI assistance during periods of staff shortages—such as at night or on holidays—could help alleviate their workload. They also expressed hope that, in cases requiring complex legal knowledge, AI could improve the accuracy and professionalism of consultations.

During the subsequent discussion, representatives from related ministries shared anticipated concerns from the planning stage, including the standardization of large datasets and the need to review the legal and ethical validity of AI adoption. The private advisory group discussed considerations for each ministry’s legal and technical requirements and consulting directions for translating field needs into business models.

The Ministry of Science and ICT plans to ensure that this consulting initiative goes beyond one-time advice by providing technology verification (PoC) and supporting commercialization through inter-ministerial cooperation for outstanding projects.

Second Vice Minister Ryu Je-myeong of the Ministry of Science and ICT stated, "We will mobilize all AI resources available to the ministry and listen closely to voices from the field, so that every citizen can experience the benefits of AI in their daily lives, building on the AI capabilities we have developed thus far."

Vice Minister Jeong Goo-chang of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said, "Through the Danuri Call Center AX advancement project, we expect to see positive changes in various areas, including reducing consultation wait times, strengthening the 24-hour response system, improving the quality of multilingual consultations, and alleviating counselors' workloads."

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