Credit Union Introduces 'Sonsorion,' Financial Sector's First AI-Based Sign Language Communication Service

The Credit Union Social Contribution Foundation announced on April 16 that it has introduced "Sonsorion (on)," the first artificial intelligence (AI)-based sign language communication service in the financial sector, to enhance financial accessibility for hearing-impaired individuals.

Sonsorion is an integrated service that provides sign language guidance, two-way text consultation, and AI-based sign language recognition functions on a single screen. Hearing-impaired customers can receive more intuitive explanations during face-to-face consultations with staff at the branch, while employees can deliver consultation content more accurately.

The Foundation held a launch ceremony and demonstration for Sonsorion the previous day at the Daejeon Sonsori Welfare Center and signed a financial business agreement with the Daejeon Association of the Deaf and the Daejeon Sonsori Welfare Center to promote the expansion of the service.

The Daejeon Association of the Deaf and the Daejeon Sonsori Welfare Center provided input from the planning stage of Sonsorion, repeatedly reviewing the methods of expression, customer flow, and screen layout through focus groups with hearing-impaired participants.

The service was developed by Vatoneus, a company specializing in sign language recognition. By integrating AI sign language recognition technology, the service supports communication throughout the consultation process. During the pilot operation phase, on-site feedback will continue to be reflected to improve both accuracy and convenience.

The pilot will begin at Daejeon Jeonjin Credit Union, located near the Daejeon Association of the Deaf and the Daejeon Sonsori Welfare Center. After evaluating the service flow and consultation convenience at Jeonjin Credit Union, the service will be expanded to the Daejeon area in the second half of the year and then gradually rolled out to credit unions nationwide.

Ko Youngchul, Chairman of the Credit Union Social Contribution Foundation, stated, "Sonsorion is a field-oriented service that enables hearing-impaired customers to directly communicate with staff at branches and carry out financial work. We will continue to enhance the service by incorporating user feedback and strive to create an environment where everyone can conveniently access financial services."

A hearing-impaired customer is using the Sonsorion service at the Daejeon Jeonjin Credit Cooperative branch counter.

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