Openwalks displays pedestrian information, including an accessibility score for a specific walking route.SEOUL AI FOUNDATION
Navigation apps give drivers a real-time picture of the road ahead. Seoul is ready to bring that same intelligence to sidewalks with an AI-powered pedestrian map.
The country’s first pedestrian map of its kind — Openwalks — is set to be unveiled on Oct. 6, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul AI Foundation on Monday.
Openwalks, developed in partnership with MIT, uses smartphone video and AI to assess Seoul’s walking environment and turn the results into a map of pedestrian-friendly routes.
Openwalks takes its name from its two core ideas: “open” for a public participatory platform that crowdsources data and pursues improvements in the walking environment, and “walks,” for a service designed to help pedestrians navigate the city.
Seoul has 67,029 sidewalk sections stretching a combined 4,031 kilometers (2,504 miles), according to city authorities.
To map those routes, researchers have reportedly combined internet-based digital mapping services such as Google Maps with images they captured themselves.
The service will initially cover the area around Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, central Seoul, where a pilot program has been completed. The city plans to collect video data from across Seoul by the end of the year and ultimately complete a pedestrian map covering the entire capital.
What sets the map apart is that it won’t stay static: Photos and videos submitted by Seoul residents on their smartphones can update it in real time.
Seoul’s pedestrian map, Openwalks, collects smartphone footage captured by pedestrians to provide real-time information on walking conditions.SEOUL AI FOUNDATION
A sudden downpour could leave blocks of pavement submerged, or cargo spilled from a bicycle could block the path. Anyone passing by could open the Openwalks app, snap a photo of the problem and have the latest conditions reflected on the map.
The collected data is fed into an AI system that assigns each section a walkability score from 0 to 100 based on factors such as obstacles, structures and pavement conditions.
The AI also looks at more specific aspects of the walking environment, such as whether a route is wheelchair-accessible and the average length of a pedestrian’s stride. Seoul plans to use those findings to guide improvements to its pedestrian infrastructure.
Seoul will showcase how AI is moving from the digital realm into the real world at Smart Life Week 2026, scheduled for Oct. 6 to 8 at Coex in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. Hosted with the Seoul AI Foundation, the event will center on “physical AI,” or AI designed to tackle problems in physical environments.
The event is also expanding in scale, with dedicated showcases for global cities such as Tokyo and Beijing making their debut this year. Openwalks will also make its debut at the event.
Seoul AI Foundation Chairman Kim Man-gi speaks about Openwalks on Sept. 14.SEOUL AI FOUNDATION
Seoul plans to expand the use of AI across public services in an effort to close the “AI divide,” where access to the technology’s benefits and opportunities varies by individual, socioeconomic group and region.
The idea is that weaving AI into services, education and infrastructure will make the technology part of everyday life, give more people direct access to its benefits and close gaps across communities and regions.
“The AI divide can ultimately become an opportunity divide, depending on who can make use of the technology,” Seoul AI Foundation Chairman Kim Man-gi said. “Seoul envisions becoming an AI city that puts more opportunities within reach of its residents, from education and jobs to entrepreneurship and growth.”
BY MOON HEE-CHUL [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
