Naver Cloud Signs AI Elderly Care Deal with Izumo City

Izumo, Japan - Naver Cloud Platform announced on Monday that it has signed an agreement with Izumo City in Japan to deploy an artificial intelligence telephone service for elderly residents, with implementation scheduled for the first half of 2026.

The service makes automated calls to elderly individuals living alone and single middle-aged households to check their condition.

The system alerts welfare workers or hospitals when it detects abnormal signs during conversations, the company said.

Izumo City, located in Shimane Prefecture, has approximately 30 percent of its population aged 65 and older.

The city faces a shortage of care support personnel relative to demand for elderly services, according to the company.

The service operates in more than half of South Korea's local government jurisdictions, where it has achieved high response rates and satisfaction scores, according to Naver Cloud.

The system uses conversational AI to conduct interactions with users.

The service placed fifth among hundreds of projects in Japan's Dejiden Koshien competition in March 2025, marking the first time a Korean company had reached the final round, the company stated.

Discussions between Naver Cloud and Izumo City began in October 2024. The companies operated a pilot service in parts of Izumo City, which produced positive results, leading to the full-scale agreement.

The parties plan six months of system enhancement before citywide deployment in the first half of 2026.

Chae Sun-ju, Naver's Strategic Business Head, stated that the collaboration aims to address societal issues related to aging in both countries.

The service was launched in South Korea in 2021 to address the challenges posed by a rapidly aging population.

The agreement coincides with the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Japan.

Naver Cloud Platform will exhibit the service at the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo from July 9 to July 11.