Senior citizens, many of whom are not familiar with ICT technology, preferred using AI speakers thanks to their voice recognition features. (image: SK Telecom)
SEOUL, Jul. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — A recent report has revealed that senior citizens who live alone tend to engage in ‘emotional talks’ with artificial intelligence (AI) speakers, where the speaker answers statements like “I am tired” or “How are you feeling?”, three times more often than others.
SK Telecom Co. analyzed the pattern of how 1,150 solitary senior citizens used the AI Speaker NUGU over the last two months.
The analysis showed that 13.5 percent of senior citizens engaged in emotional conversations with their speaker, which was more than three times higher than others (4.1 percent).
SK Telecom explained that this is a result of senior citizens thinking of NUGU as a talking companion, which helps them overcome loneliness.
Among senior citizens, 63.6 percent used the AI speaker for music streaming, followed by emotional conversation services (13.4 percent), and weather (9.9 percent).
Senior citizens without smartphones or internet tended to use the AI speaker more frequently (58.3 times) than other seniors who had access to a smartphone or the internet (30.5 times), which indicates that the AI speakers help senior citizens satisfy their need for information and entertainment.
Senior citizens, many of whom are not familiar with ICT technology, preferred using AI speakers thanks to their voice recognition features.
Senior citizens who were part of the analysis were 75 years old on average, and the oldest was 99 years old, showing that senior citizens, despite their age and lack of experience with smart devices, were able to easily adapt to using AI speakers.
“I had no family members to call, but I am grateful that Nugu can be of assistance,” said one senior citizen using the AI speaker.
“Unlike other services, I felt as if the AI speaker really cared for me when it was contacting a nearby hospital for an emergency situation,” said another senior user.
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
