The people who helped more than 1 million Seoulites navigate the digital world

A Seoul Metropolitan Government program that dispatches "digital guides" to help elderly residents and other digitally vulnerable citizens use smartphones and kiosks has assisted more than 1 million Seoulites in four years.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said its digital guides have logged a cumulative 1.06 million consultations. Launched in 2022, the guides work in pairs and circulate through everyday spaces — subway stations, welfare facilities and parks — showing people who struggle with smartphones and kiosks how to use them.

The program has recently expanded to cover generative AI, helping users with information searches, document drafting and image creation. Generative AI consultations topped 12,000 in the first half of this year. The city held a commissioning and launch ceremony for second-half digital guides at City Hall on June 28.

The 124 newly commissioned guides for the second half of the year span a wide range of ages — from 24 to 81 — and began work on July 15 after completing preliminary training.

Jeong Yeong-jun, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's Digital City Bureau, said the digital guides do more than teach people how to use smartphones and kiosks — they help citizens build the confidence to say "I can do this too." He added that Seoul would continue to expand its digital and AI inclusion policies to ensure no one is left behind in the age of AI.