It's so abstract. South Korea distributes AI dolls to elderly people living alone for 24/7 companionship and health monitoring.

In South Korea, there is a new companion for elderly people living alone -

An AI doll capable of monitoring health conditions.

This intelligent doll, developed by South Korean startup Hyodol, is being distributed on a large scale by the government to tens of thousands of elderly people living alone.

It can not only chat with the elderly but also remind them to eat and take medicine on time and notify caregivers and family members immediately in case of an emergency.

Can issue an alarm in an emergency

As South Korea enters a "super-aged" society, many elderly people living alone face serious loneliness problems.

More and more elderly people suffer from depression, dementia, and chronic diseases. The suicide rate of this group ranks first among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

In this context, an AI doll that can provide 24/7 companionship, monitoring, and emotional comfort has become the best choice for lonely elderly people.

It can not only relieve the anxiety of the elderly but also monitor their health conditions at all times.

In an apartment in Guryong District, Seoul, South Korea, 81-year-old Kim Jeong-ran lives alone.

She is sitting on the bed, affectionately saying to a cloth doll on her lap, "Hyodol, my lovely granddaughter, I really love you so much."

At this time, Hyodol softly replies, "Grandma, I love you too."

In South Korea, such scenes are becoming more and more common. According to a report by Rest of World, more than 12,000 Hyodol dolls are currently providing companionship services in the homes of elderly people living alone in South Korea.

This doll is designed and manufactured by the startup Hyodol, and its name is derived from the deeply rooted concept of "filial piety" in South Korea.

The doll is equipped with a dialogue system based on ChatGPT. It can not only communicate with the elderly in a cheerful voice but also actively remind them to eat and take medicine on time.

Moreover, its sensors can monitor the elderly in real-time. When the infrared sensor on its neck does not detect any movement for 24 hours, it will automatically send an alarm to the nursing team.

In addition, the microphone on its chest records the elderly's answers to daily questions, such as "How do you feel today?" or "Do you have any pain?", allowing the nursing team to keep track of the elderly's health conditions in a timely manner.

After obtaining these voice logs, an AI program from Microsoft can conduct a detailed analysis to evaluate the emotional state of each elderly person and transmit the results to the social workers in charge of managing the robot program.

Ryu, who takes care of 200 elderly people in Guryong District, highly appreciates the help of this robot.

Because the elderly don't tell caregivers or their children some things, but they will tell Hyodol.

Last autumn, an elderly woman revealed to the Hyodol doll, "I want to die." The doll immediately forwarded this message to the social worker, and then the elderly woman was sent to a psychiatrist for intervention in time.

The Hyodol doll can not only accompany the elderly but also reduce the nursing cost for the elderly.

In 2023, there was a shortage of 190,000 nursing staff in South Korea, and it is expected to increase to 1.55 million by 2032.

Moreover, according to data from the South Korean Budget Office, it is estimated that the national long-term care insurance program's funds will be exhausted by 2030.

To make up for this gap, the South Korean Ministry of Industry and Technology and Guryong District jointly invested 200 million won (1.02 million RMB) in 2019 to deploy Hyodol robots. Each robot costs 1.6 million won (8,160 RMB), which is only a small fraction of a caregiver's annual income.

Trigger some safety issues

Not only South Korea but also other countries cannot ignore the nursing cost. These difficulties prompt them to continuously develop new products to meet this challenge.

In Japan, the pet robot baby seal Paro makes purring sounds, wags its tail, and blinks at the elderly.

In New York, the artificial intelligence robot ElliQ, which looks like a Pixar light bulb, can not only respond to user commands but also initiate conversations and strive to establish a real emotional connection.

In Singapore, the humanoid robot Dexie can lead the elderly to exercise, play games, and sing.

It seems that with the continuous growth of the aging population, the market size of nursing robots will also continue to expand. According to data from market research firm Research and Markets, the market size of elderly nursing robots is expected to reach $7.7 billion by 2030.

These robots are like the eyes and ears of caregivers, always protecting the safety of the elderly.

Although some elderly people have a deep connection with robots, it also brings complex safety and privacy issues.

Many elderly people don't know whether their personal privacy will be leaked when using these robots. After all, private mutterings, yearnings for family members, and even painful groans are being remotely monitored.

Secondly, this simulated intimacy may sometimes make the elderly more dependent on robots.

When the robot is taken away for repair, the elderly will come to the company's door, anxiously asking for their dolls. Some elderly people also say that they will be buried with their accompanying Hyodol in the future.

In addition, dementia patients may also easily believe the words of robots.

Once, an elderly woman with dementia heard Hyodol say, "Grandma, I want to hear the sound of the brook." She actually walked alone to the brook with the robot in her arms, almost causing a big accident.

For this reason, the company has deleted these statements that may trigger dangerous behaviors from Hyodol.

Companion robots have become the light in the dark lives of lonely elderly people, but whether this virtual companionship can be truly safe remains to be investigated.

Reference links:

[1]https://www.semafor.com/article/08/29/2025/chatgpt-powered-dolls-are-becoming-caregivers-in-south-korea

[2]https://restofworld.org/2025/korea-ai-robot-senior-care-hyodol/

This article is from the WeChat official account "QbitAI". Author: Shiling. Republished by 36Kr with permission.