In South Korea, AI-powered robot dolls equipped with ChatGPT have begun to be distributed to provide psychological support to lonely elderly individuals.
According to reports, these dolls can freely converse with their companion, remind them to take medication and eat meals, and monitor their owner's health through special sensors, writes the publication Rest of World.
Hundreds of pensioners across the country have received such dolls, named Hyodol, from the government. The government aims to alleviate the problem of loneliness among the elderly through this initiative.
This decision is related to the demographic problems emerging in Korea. In recent years, the country's birth rate has sharply declined, with the elderly now forming a larger part of the population than middle-aged people. Children and grandchildren are busy building their work and careers and cannot spend enough time with their parents.
Furthermore, the social care system is also unable to fully cover all pensioners. A shortage of personnel in this field is creating another problem in South Korea. Specifically, it was noted that in 2023, the country was short of 190,000 workers to care for the elderly. According to expert estimates, this number could rise to 1.55 million by 2032.
For this reason, local government authorities are distributing Hyodol dolls to pensioners. The built-in microphones record conversations and send the data to social workers. If an unexpected situation arises, specialists take prompt action.
All collected data is kept confidential and archived in a special cloud system for three years. The sensors in the dolls also monitor the user's location and movements. This also prevents the dolls from being sold off.
Hyodol Company also aims to enter the international market in the future. According to the plan, large-scale production and sales operations will begin in the USA starting in 2026.
