Mapo-gu becomes first Seoul district to deploy AI voice bot for after-hours calls

Mapo-gu announced Tuesday it will become the first of Seoul's 25 autonomous districts to deploy an AI-powered voice bot to handle resident calls during nights and holidays, with a three-month pilot running from October.

The AI duty voice bot is a conversational phone service that identifies the nature of a caller's inquiry and responds with appropriate guidance or logs a formal complaint. The district has prepared standardized response scenarios for each complaint type, allowing the system to handle everything from basic information requests to complaint registration and transfers to on-duty staff.

During after-hours periods — weekday evenings, weekends and public holidays — callers to the Mapo-gu district office duty room will be connected to the AI voice bot immediately, with no hold time. The AI answers questions about department phone numbers and administrative matters directly, and directs callers to relevant agencies or reporting procedures for inquiries the duty room cannot handle, such as after-hours medical clinics and pharmacies, water main leaks or outages, and noise between floors.

For everyday complaints such as illegal parking, construction noise and uncollected garbage, the AI engages the caller in conversation to confirm the location and details before logging the case. Complaints requiring on-site inspection and a swift response — such as road subsidence or damaged manhole covers — are transferred to a duty officer, while emergencies including fires or dangerous animal sightings are directed to the relevant authorities, such as 119 or 112, depending on the situation.

When the AI logs a complaint, it sends the caller a text message summarizing the submission once the call ends, so the resident can review the details.

The district plans to use the three-month pilot to assess the system's accuracy and ease of use in real complaint-handling situations before launching full operations in January. Mapo-gu, which has been investing heavily in AI initiatives, submitted a supplementary budget proposal to the Mapo-gu Council last month that earmarked about 400 million won ($294,000) for an AI-integrated website overhaul.

"We will continue refining the system so that AI handles routine and repetitive inquiries quickly, freeing staff to focus on urgent cases and those that require direct intervention," District Mayor Yoo Dong-gyun said.