Korea plans 24/7 AI help for taxes, welfare and safety

South Korea plans to offer 24/7 AI counseling in welfare, safety, taxation, agriculture, and food and drug services by the end of next year, as announced by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday. The initiative includes an AI-powered work management system called 'On AI' to be introduced across 47 central government agencies by December, and mandatory AI training for all civil servants, with a goal to train 20,000 public officials as advanced AI specialists by 2030. Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung said the 'AI-powered democratic government' aims to place citizens at the center of state affairs.

South Korea plans to offer round-the-clock AI assistance for public services ranging from welfare and taxes to food and drug information as part of a broader push to bring artificial intelligence into government operations. The plan, presented at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, calls for 24-hour AI counseling in five public service areas — welfare, safety, taxation, agriculture, and food and drug services — as well as wider use of AI in civil servants' daily work. "We aim to make the services available to the public by the end of next year," Jo Won-gab, director of the AI Government Policy Bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, told The Korea Herald. Under the strategy, people will be able to receive AI-powered assistance on services including care programs, tax payments, infectious disease prevention and food-related information. The initiative is part of what the Interior Ministry calls an "AI-powered democratic government" aimed at using AI not only to improve administrative efficiency but also to expand public access to government services and participation in policymaking. The government also plans to consolidate disaster and safety information through the National Safety 24 portal, which will provide services in 22 languages. AI will analyze risks faced by individual users and provide advance warnings about severe weather and other dangers. The strategy also calls for AI to be used in government work ranging from reviewing laws and drafting reports to more specialized tasks across individual agencies. Examples include reviewing medicines, processing building permits, assisting police officers in the field, forecasting weather and climate, and drafting procurement documents. An AI-powered work management system, known as "On AI," is scheduled to be introduced across 47 central government agencies by December. AI training will also become mandatory for all civil servants, while the government plans to train 20,000 public officials as advanced AI specialists by 2030. "We began training civil officials as 'AI champions' last year and plan to train a total of 20,000 by 2030 through advanced AI courses," Jo said. "That would account for about 2 percent of employees across government agencies and public institutions." The government will also hold an annual competition showcasing civil servants' use of AI. AI will be used in social services as well, including healthcare support for seniors and personalized information for young people on job-seeking allowances and startup training. "The essence of an AI-powered democratic government lies not simply in adopting AI technology, but in using it to achieve popular sovereignty by placing citizens at the center of state affairs," Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung said. "We will deliver tangible changes and results that people can experience in their daily lives." yunapark@heraldcorp.com