[Courtesy of Shinsegae Duty Free]
Chatbot services are widely used in South Korea due to their efficiency. The artificial intelligence (AI)-based assistant robot can engage in natural language communications through text conversations. The smart system can help workers at duty-free shops who are required to handle various types of questions such as "How much tax am I supposed to pay when entering the country?" According to the Korea Duty Free Association, domestic duty shops were visited by 164,700 foreigners and 733,110 South Koreans only in September 2022.
Since April 3, Shinsegae Duty Free has demonstrated the chatbot service at its store located in Myeongdong, a shopping district filled with department stores and fashion brands. The AI service can also provide information about the location of facilities, and lunch menus at the corporate cafeteria. After a test run at the Myeongdong branch, the service will be expanded to other shops in the southern port city of Busan and the western city of Incheon.
Seoul City has also utilized chatbots to deal with various inquiries. In August 2022, the capital city rolled out the AI platform called "Invest Seoul" which can engage in a conversation with foreign investors regarding investment-related information without time and space restrictions. The chatbot has accumulated different information through some 15,000 dialogue simulations. "Seoul Talk," a chatbot service that looks after public inquiries such as COVID-19 vaccination, gained popularity in April 2022, with 303,208 users.
reporter
Kim Joo-heon
jhkim123@ajunews.com
