Jeonju City embarks on a pioneering journey by deploying advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance its welfare services. Starting from the 18th, the city plans to introduce a consultation service powered by AI in Wansan-gu’s Pyeonghwa 1-dong and Deokjin-gu’s Inhu 2-dong, focused on identifying households that might be facing challenges unnoticed by traditional welfare systems.
This initiative follows the city’s selection in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s ‘2023 Digital Town Creation Project.’ Having signed an agreement with Naver Cloud last October and concluding the preliminary phase at the beginning of this year, Jeonju has been strategically preparing to roll out this technological intervention.
Strategic partnerships and a roadmap to digital welfare
Through collaborations with the governmental bodies and Naver Cloud, the city has forged a practical consultative body. They have engaged in extensive planning discussions, focusing on how to leverage hyper-scale AI for detecting at-risk households, consulting service technology support, and integration with operation centers.
AI to add a new dimension to citizen welfare
Subsequently, the final model for Naver’s Clova CareCall consultancy has been established, marking the service’s readiness for deployment. In the initial stages of intervention, this AI service will evaluate the welfare needs of households by engaging in conversational analysis. The individual analysis reports generated will then be supplied to the respective community centers for action.
A representative from Jeonju City expressed optimism regarding the AI-based consultation service, stating that it signifies the development of a more efficient welfare administration system. They further highlighted the AI’s role in using generated data for in-depth consultations and support, underscoring the city’s commitment to a more robust welfare safety net.
Challenges and Controversies
One key challenge associated with implementing AI in welfare services, such as the one in Jeonju City, is privacy and data security. With the collection of sensitive information needed to determine welfare needs, maintaining the confidentiality and protection of this data is crucial.
Another consideration is the potential for AI to inadvertently overlook or misidentify individuals or households in need due to biases in the AI algorithms or data, leading to a reliance on technology that may fail to recognize complex human situations.
There’s also a broader concern about the depersonalization of welfare services. Relying on AI to make initial assessments may introduce a layer of detachment between service providers and beneficiaries, potentially impacting the level of empathy and understanding within the welfare system.
Advantages and Disadvantages
The primary advantage of integrating AI into welfare services is increased efficiency and proactive identification of households in need. AI systems can process vast amounts of data and identify patterns that might elude human workers, thereby enhancing the scope and responsiveness of welfare services.
However, disadvantages include the risk of technological malfunctions or errors leading to incorrect assessments. Moreover, dependency on AI systems might reduce the development of human expertise in welfare services over time.
To ensure continuous education and discussion on AI intervention in social services, the following link to a main domain (not subpage) related to AI ethics and welfare might provide more in-depth information AI Ethics and Society Conference.
Suggested Related Link
A relevant link for further information on AI developments and their applications in public administration is AI.gov, which is the home page for the United States Government’s overarching approach to AI. Although this is a U.S.-centric resource, it tackles the broader themes of AI deployment in the public sector, which are likely applicable to Jeonju City’s welfare initiative.