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IN VIRUS-HIT

SOUTH KOREA,

AI MONITORS

LONELY ELDERS

In a cramped office in eastern Seoul, Hwang

Seungwon points a remote control toward a

huge NASA-like overhead screen stretching

across one of the walls.

With each flick of the control, a colorful array of

pie charts, graphs and maps reveals the search

habits of thousands of South Korean senior

citizens being monitored by voice-enabled

“smart” speakers, an experimental remote care

service the company says is increasingly needed

during the coronavirus crisis.

“We closely monitor for signs of danger,

whether they are more frequently using search

words that indicate rising states of loneliness

or insecurity,” said Hwang, director of a social

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