Free AI service vouchers for all Seoul youth

63.5% of young subscribers canceled due to cost

City in talks with leading global AI firms

Five AI lounges planned by 2030

'Investing in youth is the surest investment in Seoul's future'

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks at a meeting with students at the Youth Employment Academy's Dobong-gu campus. [Yonhap]
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon speaks at a meeting with students at the Youth Employment Academy's Dobong-gu campus. [Yonhap]

Seoul is pursuing what it calls the nation's first policy to guarantee "basic AI rights" for young residents, with free access to generative AI services at its core. The city aims to support 500,000 residents in their 20s in the first phase next year, building what it describes as an "AI ladder" — a level playing field that allows young people to develop AI skills regardless of their financial circumstances, with the goal of producing talent that uses AI rather than talent replaced by it.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced the "Youth AI Ladder" support plan Wednesday morning at Seoul City Hall, outlining the city's youth policy direction for the era of AI transformation. The initiative centers on providing generative AI service vouchers, creating AI learning spaces, offering tailored education, and supporting young people's growth in the AI age.

Generative AI has already spread rapidly across young people's study habits, job preparation and professional development. Since OpenAI launched ChatGPT in 2022, the share of people with experience using generative AI has grown consistently — from 17.6 percent in 2023 to 44.5 percent in 2025. Usage among people in their 20s and 30s exceeds 70 percent, the highest of any age group.

Yet many young people cannot make full use of these tools because of the cost. In practice, 44.9 percent of university students use generative AI on free plans, and 63.5 percent of those who canceled subscriptions cited cost as the reason.

The Youth AI Ladder is designed to change a reality in which the cost of using AI translates directly into a gap in capability — and ultimately a gap in opportunity. The policy aims to give every young person an equal starting point regardless of financial background and to support their growth into the core talent who will lead the AI era.

The plan is built around two strategies: guaranteeing basic AI rights for youth, and cultivating a generation of AI-native young people.

Under the first strategy, the city will provide AI service vouchers to all Seoul youth regardless of income or qualifications, enabling them to use the latest AI services at no cost for studying, job preparation, entrepreneurship and self-development.

Seoul is currently reviewing proposals from leading global AI companies and negotiating costs and service terms. "We cannot name the companies yet because talks are still ongoing, but they are among the world's top AI service providers," a city official said. "We plan to introduce multiple AI services rather than just one, to give users a wider range of choices."

The city plans to conclude negotiations with AI service providers as soon as possible and begin distributing the generative AI vouchers promptly thereafter.

Alongside this, the city will open immersive AI workspaces called "Seoul AI Lounges" near university districts and other areas where young people live. Each lounge will be equipped with high-spec computers capable of running advanced generative AI applications such as vibe coding and video production. Resident AI coaches will provide on-site guidance, making the lounges open hubs where any young person can encounter and use AI. The city plans to open the first location at the Seoul Metropolitan Library in the second half of this year, with a total of five lounges to be established by 2030.

The city will also launch an "AI Talent Growth Course," offering step-by-step tailored education — from foundational to practical to specialist training — so that the AI transition becomes an opportunity rather than a threat for digitally savvy young people. Through the city-run AI education platform Seoul AI Digital Learning Center, participants will have access to educational packages covering everything from entry-level skills such as document writing and information retrieval to industry-trend-based, job-specific curricula.

To ease the financial burden of sitting for official AI and data certification exams, the city also plans to subsidize exam fees and award a congratulatory bonus to those who pass, actively encouraging young people to build AI expertise.

Young people enrolled in AI and high-tech convergence programs at the Youth Employment Academy and technical training centers will receive hands-on project experience to strengthen their practical skills.

"Investing in youth is the surest investment in Seoul's future and the clearest growth strategy toward making Seoul a top-three global city," Oh said. "Through the AI ladder, Seoul will be a city that invests in young people first — providing everyone with an equal starting line and supporting them to grow into the leaders of the AI era."


ikson@heraldcorp.com