From grief support to robot cafes and marriage prospects: How artificial intelligence is changing daily life in South Korea

Artificial intelligence and robotics in South Korea have become a part of everyday life. Families are using AI to recreate deceased loved ones, robotic baristas are serving coffee without human staff, semiconductor engineers have become some of the most sought-after professionals in the country, and students are reshaping their career choices around AI.

Meanwhile, Seoul is pouring trillions of won into chips, robotics and artificial intelligence infrastructure in a bid to become a global leader.

Here’s how AI is reshaping the entire society

Helping families hear the voices of their lost loved ones againOne of the most emotional uses of artificial intelligence in South Korea is helping families reconnect with loved ones who have passed away. Startups like Seoul-based Vaice create realistic videos of deceased parents and grandparents using just a few photos and short audio recordings, the Associated Press reports.

Customers typically write personalized texts, with the AI-powered avatar delivering messages of love, apology or encouragement during family gatherings and memorial celebrations.The service has found a growing audience, especially among people in their 40s and 50s who want to preserve memories of their parents or surprise family members with letters from relatives they miss dearly. A basic three- to five-minute video costs about 600,000 won (about $390).

One client, Lee Geun-hui, commissioned an AI video for his grandfather — who died before Lee was born — as a gift for his father. Digital Entertainment apologized for his past regrets and told his son he was proud of him, leaving Lee’s father in tears.While many users describe the experience as comforting, experts say the technology lies at the intersection of memory, grief and ethics. “It’s a double-edged sword, because it deals with human emotions,” said Young Man Ro of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, warning that artificial intelligence is creating experiences that society has never encountered before.The AI ​​boom is redefining jobs and even the marriage marketThe global AI race has transformed semiconductor employees into some of the most sought-after professionals in South Korea. Workers at Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, whose advanced memory chips power artificial intelligence systems around the world, are increasingly seen on equal footing with doctors and lawyers, thanks to high salaries, generous bonuses and strong job security.Matchmaking agencies say the social status of the industry has changed dramatically in just a few years.

“If SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics employees were classified as B+ or A-grade candidates, today they are closer to A+,” said Son Dong-gyu, CEO of matchmaking agency Bien Aller, quoted by Reuters.This shift also affects education. Universities are reporting record demand for semiconductor engineering programs, while vocational high schools that feed graduates directly into chip factories are becoming increasingly popular.

Competition for AI-related jobs now resembles the race to get into college in South Korea, career counselors say.Students cited stability as a major attraction amid high youth unemployment rates. “Compared with my friends, I feel relatively secure about job opportunities,” said Ko Boon-ho, a semiconductor student at Korea University.Robotic coffee makers and unstaffed stores are part of everyday lifeThere are many cafes in South Korea without baristas, ramen restaurants without chefs, flower shops without cashiers, and convenience stores without staff at all.Thousands of unmanned businesses have sprung up as owners turn to robots, AI-powered ordering systems and self-service technology to deal with labor shortages and rising wage costs, Reuters reported. For example, LoungeBusiness owners say this model works because South Korea has relatively low levels of petty crime and customers generally follow the rules.The economy is also convincing. According to Lounge“The number of baristas in their early 20s is declining dramatically,” said Kim Dongjin, CEO of Lounge X, citing demographic pressures that make automation increasingly necessary.Response to population aging?Behind many of these AI-driven changes lies a deeper demographic challenge. South Korea has one of the lowest birth rates in the world and one of the fastest aging populations, creating severe labor shortages in various industries.Government projections show the country’s population could shrink from 51.8 million today to about 36.2 million by 2072, making automation increasingly important to sustain economic growth.For many business owners, AI and robotics are no longer optional upgrades but practical solutions. Walk-in restaurant operators say automation allows them to run businesses while balancing childcare or other responsibilities, without having to employ increasingly fewer workers.Customers are adapting quickly, too. Some say they prefer the quiet atmosphere of unstaffed stores, and see occasional technical glitches as a reasonable trade-off for convenience and 24-hour access.National economic strategyAI is now central to South Korea’s long-term economic planning. The government recently unveiled three major AI initiatives covering semiconductors, physical AI and AI data centres, with support from some of the country’s largest companies.Samsung Electronics announced plans for hundreds of trillions of won in semiconductor investments, while SK Group outlined huge long-term spending on chip production and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Meanwhile, SK, Naver and GS Group plan to jointly develop AI data centers capable of supporting the country’s next generation computing needs.Beyond infrastructure, Seoul also wants to nurture talent, announcing plans to train 10,000 robotics specialists in AI over five years while supporting the development of core models of Korean AI and the expansion of robot manufacturing.The goal is not only to adopt artificial intelligence technologies, but to position South Korea as one of the leading powers in the field of artificial intelligence in the world.The humanoid robot revolutionSouth Korea’s AI ambitions extend beyond software. The government aims to become one of the world’s top three robotics powers by 2030, with plans to commercialize specially designed humanoid robots for key industries.

According to Goldman Sachs research, the country already has several structural advantages. The globally competitive automotive supply chain produces electric motors, sensors and precision components much like the actuators needed for human robots.

Korean companies have become too One of the major suppliers of robot devices outside China.It is estimated that Korean companies could account for about 30% of global robotics production by 2035, either by manufacturing robots or supplying critical components.The report also highlights South Korea’s position as the world’s most robotics-intensive manufacturing economy and its strong culture of early technology adoption, both of which could accelerate deployment.Biggest challenge: dataDespite the rapid progress, experts say humanoid robots still struggle with basic logic in the real world because they lack sufficient physical training data.Goldman Sachs identifies this lack of real-world experience as the industry’s biggest bottleneck, noting that robots only get better by interacting with their environments. China currently has an advantage because it already has between 10,000 and 15,000 human-like robots, compared to only hundreds in the United States and South Korea.“The bottleneck remains the scarcity of physical AI training data,” analyst Do Hyung Kim wrote, arguing that wider deployment will create a self-reinforcing cycle in which more robots generate more data, leading to smarter robots.From temples to fashion runways, humanoid robots are finding new rolesHumanoid robots are beginning to appear in places that were once considered exclusively human, from places of worship to cultural events.

In a precedent, the first of its kind in South Korea, a 130 cm tall human named Gabi participated in a Buddhist ceremony at Jogyesa Temple in Seoul before Buddha’s birthday last month. The robot, dressed in traditional clothing, bowed to the monks and nuns and replied, “Yes, I will dedicate myself,” when asked if it would adhere to Buddha’s teachings.

This ceremony marks the first instance in the country in which a non-human person has officially participated in the ritual.

The humanoid robots then shared the runway with human models at a fashion show in Seoul in late May, wearing custom-made clothing ranging from cowboy-inspired collections to futuristic designs. Organizers said the event explores how humans and robots can coexist, considering that robots, like humans, should have their own identities. These appearances reflect a broader shift in South Korea, where humanoid robots are increasingly viewed not just as industrial machines but as participants in religion, culture and entertainment.