SK Telecom, Soonchunhyang University deploy AI diary tool to tackle students' literacy gap

An image related to the "2026 Digital Saessak project" being carried out jointly by SK Telecom and Soonchunhyang University. [Provided by SK Telecom]

SK Telecom is moving to address student literacy — a growing concern in the AI era — through digital education. The company plans to support improvements in students' literacy and expressive ability while integrating AI across the broader education landscape.

SK Telecom announced Monday that it has incorporated its in-house AI edtech solution "AI Picture Diary" into the "2026 Digital Saessak project," which it is running in partnership with Soonchunhyang University.

Digital Saessak is an AI and software education initiative for students, promoted by the Ministry of Education and operated by the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science and Creativity. Soonchunhyang University has been selected as the project's lead institution for two consecutive years, with SK Telecom participating as a partner organization this year. The two institutions have been running AI and software education programs for about 4,200 elementary, middle and high school students in Gangwon Province and the Chungcheong region since May.

This year, SK Telecom is incorporating its in-house literacy solution, AI Picture Diary, into the curriculum. The AI edtech tool is designed to support reading, writing and expressive activities for lower-grade elementary school students and those receiving special education.

When a student writes a diary entry, AI Picture Diary's generative AI analyzes the content and organizes it into four scenes, generating matching images and audio narration for each. Students can then edit the scene titles, descriptions and character dialogue that the AI produces, or regenerate the images. Through this process, students naturally practice expressing their thoughts in sentences and structuring a narrative.

By expanding their writing into images and audio and revising it repeatedly, students can strengthen both their literacy and expressive ability.

AI Picture Diary also includes features to support teachers in running their classes. Through a dedicated dashboard, teachers can monitor student participation, track diary-writing progress and review submitted work, allowing them to tailor instruction to each student's pace.

In addition, the two institutions will provide a dedicated workbook covering both digital and handwritten activities. In the second semester, they also plan to offer a separate curriculum for students receiving special education, titled "A World of Reading and Writing with AI," built around AI Picture Diary.

SK Telecom plans to use AI Picture Diary as a classroom AI transformation solution, connecting AI across education through student writing and creative work, sharing of finished pieces, and teacher lesson management.

"AI Picture Diary is a classroom AI transformation solution that helps students expand their thoughts into writing, images and audio, while giving teachers a way to incorporate that process into their lessons," said Kim Gu-yeong, head of SK Telecom's enterprise business division. "We will continue to expand our collaboration so that AI technology can support the learning and growth of more students."

ko@heraldcorp.com