29-05-2025
1 in 4 Koreans use generative AI: survey
Nearly 1 in 4 Koreans have used generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT, signaling rapid adoption and growing public interest in the emerging technology, according to a recent government survey released Thursday.
The survey, conducted jointly by the Korea Communications Commission and the Korea Information Society Development Institute, involved 4,420 respondents aged 15 to 69 across all 17 major provinces and metropolitan areas. All participants were smartphone users who access the internet at least once a day.
According to the findings, both usage and paid subscriptions of AI services have surged over the past year. Some 24 percent of respondents said they had used generative AI tools -- nearly double the figure reported last year. Meanwhile, 7 percent said they had subscribed to paid generative AI services, marking a sevenfold increase from a year ago.
The range of applications for generative AI has also diversified.
Asked how they most frequently use AI, respondents cited text generation (57.2 percent), voice or music generation (21.4 percent) and image generation (11.8 percent). In comparison, text-based use alone accounted for over 80 percent last year, indicating broader adoption across creative domains.
Efficiency in information retrieval emerged as the most common reason for using generative AI, cited by 87.9 percent of users. Support with daily tasks (70 percent) and the use of AI as a conversational partner (69.5 percent) followed closely.
However, a lack of user competence remains a key barrier to broader adoption. Among those who have not yet used generative AI, 65.2 percent said they avoided it because they believed it required a high level of technical knowledge. Concerns over privacy (58.9 percent) and perceptions that the tools are too complex to use (57.3 percent) were also cited.
