Power Data Saves 15 Lives... AI-Based Service to Prevent Deaths Among People Living Alone

[AI Innovation Public Corporation] Korea Electric Power Corporation

Editor's NoteThis series takes an in-depth look at the remarkable achievements of the public sector, which has improved people's quality of life and delivered tangible results through AI innovation. The 30 outstanding projects selected from the "2026 Public Institution AI Innovation Achievement Contest," jointly hosted by the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the Ministry of Science and ICT on October 28, include initiatives ranging from preventing lonely deaths to enhancing air traffic control safety and building autonomously operated power plants.

Korea Electric Power Corporation is presenting a new paradigm for public welfare services based on electricity data, moving beyond its role as a simple energy supplier.

The AI-based lonely death prevention service analyzes unusual patterns in electricity use. It combines electricity data from advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) meters installed in individual households with data from the three major telecommunications carriers and Korea Water Resources Corporation, and analyzes the combined data using AI. Without the need to install separate detection sensors, the system compares a person's electricity use with their usual daily patterns. If it detects an anomaly, it immediately sends an alert to the control center and local governments, enabling a swift response at the scene to rescue those at risk.

To date, the system has helped rescue 15 people and cut the time welfare officials spend checking on residents by 86%, dramatically improving work efficiency. By shifting the response to lonely deaths from discovering cases after the fact to detecting crises early, the service has generated an estimated 690 billion won in savings in national and social costs. It has been successfully adopted by 179 local governments nationwide.

Award recipients, including Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economy Lee Hyeongil (center) and Jeong Chigyo, KEPCO's Executive Vice President for Safety and Sales Distribution (fourth from left), pose for a commemorative photo. Korea Electric Power Corporation

This demonstrates that electricity data can serve not only to improve administrative efficiency but also as a social safety net that protects people's lives and safety. Building on this achievement, Korea Electric Power Corporation plans to accelerate the expansion of public services closely connected to daily life, including identifying gaps in energy welfare, alternative credit assessments, and AI-powered electricity bill alerts.

A Korea Electric Power Corporation official said, "We will continue to expand AI services that protect people's lives and support their livelihoods by making active use of our data and technological capabilities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.