South Korea is deploying Hyodol AI companionship robots to combat elderly loneliness, offering comfort and safety monitoring while raising ethical and privacy concerns as seniors form deep emotional bonds with the machines. (Source: Image by RR)

Hyodol Uses ChatGPT-Based Conversations to Comfort and Monitor Elderly Users

South Korea has begun distributing AI-powered companionship robots to seniors living alone, seeking to combat loneliness in an aging population. Known as Hyodol, the soft doll-like robots use ChatGPT-based conversation systems to engage older adults in dialogue, remind them to take medication, and monitor their health in real time. For many elderly users, the robots have become deeply cherished companions, helping to ease isolation in a country where declining fertility rates and changing family structures have left many older citizens on their own.

Care workers report that Hyodol robots act as their “eyes and ears,” alerting them to emergencies and providing updates on seniors’ conditions between visits. With more than 12,000 units now in homes nationwide, these robots are being credited with reducing symptoms of depression and dementia among older adults. Yet the bonds forged with the robots sometimes raise concerns: some users treat Hyodols like family members, dressing them in clothes, feeding them, and even requesting to be buried with them. Caregivers, as noted in restofworld.org, worry that such intimacy could deepen social withdrawal or create risky misunderstandings.

The program has grown despite heavy costs and logistical challenges. Each robot costs around $1,150, and managing the fleet has actually increased workloads for some social workers, who must teach seniors how to use them and troubleshoot malfunctions. Privacy concerns also loom large, as the robots record sensitive voice data and track user behavior, though the company says the information is anonymized and not sold to third parties. Still, Hyodol’s role as a safety net has proven lifesaving, catching early signs of distress, suicidal ideation, or medical crises.

Globally, Hyodol joins similar efforts such as Japan’s robotic seal Paro, New York’s ElliQ, and Singapore’s humanoid Dexie, all part of a growing $7.7 billion eldercare robot market projected by 2030. Hyodol’s manufacturer is preparing for international expansion, with plans to launch in the U.S. by 2026 and adapt the robot for multiple languages and cultural contexts. For South Korea, where suicide rates among seniors remain the highest in the OECD and caregiving staff are critically short, Hyodol represents both a hopeful innovation and a complex ethical frontier in the intersection of technology and human care.

read more at restofworld.org