How South Korea is Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Transform Daily Life
How South Korea is Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Transform Daily Life What do you think of when the majority of people hear the term South Korea? K-pop, K-dramas, and the pace of the internet. Yet, behind the global entertainment phenomenon lies something much more powerful, the mass embracement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in daily life among South Koreans. From homework and beauty care to traffic flow and coffee shops, AI is revolutionizing the Korean lifestyle, learning, and corporate world without making the headlines. AI Tutors’ Intelligent Education It is no secret that South Korean students are already accustomed to AI-based study tools since grade school. Riiid and Socrates AI are the kinds of tools that scan through a student’s learning pattern and adjust in real time like having a personal instructor. Some universities like KAIST and POSTECH also use AI assistants in classrooms to provide real-time feedback, grade assignments automatically, and recommend content. “AI assists us to learn smarter, not harder”, states Vietnamese GKS student Min-Ji AI Skincare – Beyond Imagination Walk into any of Seoul’s malls and you might be greeted by a mirror that reads your face. But it is no mirror- it is an AI skin scanner. It looks at the severity of the acne, pore size, moisture, and even predicts your skin in the future. It recommends specific products for your skin type based on the scan. Other beauty salons have AI-based treatment plans as well, which are time- and cost-effective, and make Korean skincare even more technologically sophisticated and accurate. Artificial Intelligence Urban Planning and Traffic Seoul utilizes AI to assist in clearing traffic jams by analyzing real-time traffic patterns from over 1,000 city cameras. Traffic lights are automatically optimized for up to 20% less waiting time. During emergency situations, AI detects unusual patterns of motion- such as crashes, and can alert authorities in seconds. Did you know? Seoul is trying out AI crosswalks that can sense the speed of pedestrians and adapt timing, respectively. AI Cafés – Robot Served Coffee Believe it or not, most coffee shops in Korea are semi-automatic now. In certain coffee shops, robots attend to you, make you a coffee, and even bring it to you, all driven by AI and IoT. Such cafes became much more popular during the pandemic because they were offering zero-contact service and ultra-efficiency. Language & Communication The Papago and Kakao AI apps are not only translation apps- they understand context, formality, and mood. They help foreign students, including the students of GKS scholars, communicate well in Korean environments. What It Means for the Future South Korea isn’t just embracing AI, it’s going all in. The country’s strategy is to be an AI- first nation where technology adds to life, not takes away from it. For the international and tech-oriented students, Korea not only offers degrees in AI but a real lab where it is being implemented. Last Thought: As the rest of the world debates the ethics of AI, South Korea is already educating it, employing it, and changing lives with it. And the next time you’re sipping latte in Seoul or swiping your student ID, remember, AI is probably working overtime behind the scenes.