50 young people to use AI to fix public service problems... Interior Ministry launches 'Public AX Supporters'

[Financial News] Young people are embarking on an experiment to identify problems they encounter with public services in their daily lives and develop solutions themselves using artificial intelligence (AI). 
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said it held the launch ceremony for the 'Youth Public AX Supporters' program on the 7th and that activities are now underway. Fifty young people selected from across the country are participating in 10 teams. They include people with a range of academic backgrounds, not only in information technology (IT) and software but also in public administration, economics, health and education.
The supporters identify problems they experience when using public services and suggest ideas for improvement. Public officials and experts then jointly review whether the proposed projects are needed and can be applied in practice.
They will go beyond ideas and build prototypes themselves. They will use methods such as so-called 'vibe coding,' in which people describe in everyday language the functions they want from AI to create programs. Possible experiments include a guidance service that lets users find information held by multiple agencies all at once, or a service that presents complex administrative application procedures in a way users can easily understand.
The Ministry will cover subscriptions to coding tools needed to build prototypes and provide development environments. It will also offer mentoring from public officials and opportunities to connect with professionals working in the AI field.
The activities will run from this month through December. During that time, the young people will identify projects, build prototypes and assess whether they can actually reduce inconveniences for the public. Outstanding projects are scheduled to be selected, presented and awarded in January next year.
However, the results of the supporters' work will not be introduced into government services immediately. The Ministry plans to share ideas for improvement and experimental results from the program with relevant agencies, and to work with the departments in charge of outstanding projects to assess whether they can be used to improve public services in practice.
Vice Minister Kim Min-jae of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety said, "Innovation in public services begins with identifying and addressing the small inconveniences people experience in their daily lives," adding, "We will combine young people's fresh perspectives with public officials' on-the-ground experience to test solutions using AI and support them so they lead to changes the public can feel."

[email protected] Lee Bo-mi Reporter