Government AI initiatives

Government ministries are introducing AI functions in public-data services, welfare administration and medical-narcotics management.

On Aug. 3, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) began a pilot of an upgraded Public Data Portal. Instead of relying on precise keyword searches, users can ask questions in everyday language and receive AI-selected data recommendations. The portal also adds Quick Summary, an AI help feature, and a service recommending data around current issues.

MOIS is also offering AI-generated data descriptions and dashboards for statistical analysis and visualisation. “The upgrade goes beyond simply providing public data,” Hwang Gyu-cheol, head of the ministry's AI Government Office, said.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) will test welfare-administration AI in Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, Gyeonggi Province and North Chungcheong Province. A generative AI welfare counsellor is designed to move beyond preset questions and answers, helping identify complex circumstances and recommend services with a high likelihood of eligibility. A separate tool uses welfare guidance and existing cases to answer officials' questions about relevant guidance and check whether supporting documents are missing.

MOHW will verify the systems' accuracy and performance and incorporate feedback before pursuing a nationwide rollout. Jin Young-ju, director-general of MOHW's Social Welfare Policy Office, called the AI transition in welfare work “an essential task that can no longer be delayed.”

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) used analysis of propofol-use records and other big data to select 46 animal hospitals for targeted inspection. Twenty-eight, or 60 percent, were found to have violations, including late reporting of medical-narcotics handling and incomplete prescription or medical records. Administrative measures are under way against the 28 hospitals. MFDS says it will continue AI-enabled year-round monitoring of medical-narcotics handling.