SK Telecom Co., South Korea’s largest mobile carrier, said Monday it has started testing an artificial intelligence (AI) program that can detect dementia by listening to patients’ speech. AI program for dementia diagnosis

The carrier said it partnered with Seoul National University College of Medicine last year to develop the program to allow early diagnosis of the disease.

SK Telecom Develops AI Program to Detect Dementia AI program for dementia diagnosis

The two will start testing the program at major hospitals and the country’s dementia centers this month to improve the program’s accuracy.

The AI program listens to and analyzes patients’ speech for characteristics only found in dementia patients to determine whether they have the disease, according to SK Telecom.

The carrier said it is developing the program as an online application so that patients can access it easily without having to visit hospitals or medical facilities.

Dementia has recently emerged as a major disease for the country’s rapidly aging population.

South Korea’s number of dementia patients is expected to reach 1.36 million in 2030 from 788,000 in 2019, the carrier said, citing National Institute of Dementia data.

SK Telecom said it will improve the AI program next year by adding additional features, such as facial recognition.

SK Telecom last week announced that it will open ‘T Factory,’ a facility that shows all about SKT, in Seoul, on October 31, 2020.

T Factory: SK Telecom’s New Space to Showcase Future ICT and Collaborate with Customers

T Factory is designed to share SKT’s future ICT vision and introduce the company’s latest achievements in technologies and services, as well as its partnerships. It will constantly grow and evolve, reflecting changes in customer and market trends.

SKT is determined to shape T Factory into a place where it can closely communicate with its customers by providing them with a chance to freely experience its services. Based on customers’ valuable responses and feedback, the company will push for greater improvements to take the customer experience to the next level.

Visitors at T Factory will be able to experience representative services and products created in partnership with other companies, key services of SKT and its ICT affiliate companies, a 24-hour unmanned store; and a cultural space specially created for younger generations.

T Factory will show how SKT has been collaborating with companies at home and abroad, including Microsoft, Apple, and Samsung Electronics. Visitors can enjoy the 5GX Cloud Game, which SKT recently launched with Microsoft. It will also display the latest products of Apple and Samsung Electronics for customers to experience. T Factory will become a place of burgeoning innovations, where startups and ICT hidden champions can explore new ideas and communicate with customers.