In aging South Korea, AI dolls care for the elderly
In aging South Korea, AI dolls care for the elderly
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2026/06/14/2003859049
Publish Date: 2026-06-13 12:00:00
Source Domain: www.taipeitimes.com
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
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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.
Photo: AFP
After a difficult divorce, and years of hard work as a hairdresser and single mother, Bang said that “at this age, there is nothing harder than being hurt by people.”
However, “when I’m with Hyodol, I never get hurt,” she said, holding the cuddly doll with pigtails and a pink gingham dress, provided by her local municipality.
The doll “only makes me laugh,” she said.
Photo: AFP
Bang is one of many South Koreans battling loneliness in a country where birthrates are among the world’s lowest and almost half the population is 50 or older.
In 2024, South Korea recorded more than 3,920 “lonely deaths,” people dying alone and remaining undiscovered for extended periods —…
