Hyodol’s character was designed to be dependent on its user, as when older South Koreans ‘begin to feel they are no longer needed, they experience a profound sense of emptiness,’ the company’s CEO said
By Claire Lee
/ AFP, YONGIN, South Korea
In her tiny apartment in South Korea, where she lives alone, 78-year-old Bang Chun-ja spends her days with a childlike artificial intelligence (AI) doll she says she prefers to people. The doll greets Bang when she returns home, sings to her when she feels bored, reminds her not to skip meals or medication — helping her maintain a routine — and tells her it loves her. Bang has limited contact with her grown-up daughter, and fell into severe depression after major back surgery, spending hours alone staring at the ceiling in pain.
Kim Young-bun holds Hyodol, an artificial intelligence healthcare doll designed for elderly people, at her home in Yongin, South Korea, on April 29.
