S. Korea's AI adoption rate over 40 pct, ranks 12th place globally: report

South Korea has been ranked 12th globally in AI adoption, with over 40% of its population utilizing the technology in the second quarter of the year, as per a Microsoft report. The usage rate among South Koreans aged 15 to 64 increased by 3.5 percentage points from the previous quarter, pushing the country up by four ranks by the end of June, according to the report published by the U.S. software giant.

The global usage rate of generative AI rose by 1 percentage point from 17.8% in the January-March period to 18.8% in the April-June period. The United Arab Emirates topped the list in AI adoption with a usage rate of 73.3%, followed by Singapore at 64.3%, Ireland at 49.9%, and France at 49.6%. The AI usage rate was 28.8% in the Global North, which comprises wealthy, industrialized countries like the United States, South Korea, Japan, Israel, and New Zealand, and 16.2% in the Global South, consisting of developing nations with lower incomes, including most of Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia.

This adoption gap of 12.6 percentage points highlights the systemic challenges faced by the Global South, where limitations in electricity, internet connectivity, and digital skills continue to impede AI adoption. Microsoft emphasized that until these gaps are addressed, the benefits of generative AI will remain unevenly distributed.