Yi Whan-woo is a Korea Times journalist primarily covering finance. He writes in-depth articles on macroeconomy and financial markets and previously covered sports, politics, diplomacy and inter-Korean affairs, among others. Feel free to contact him at yistory@koreatimes.co.kr.
Stats agency considers using AI to increase household survey credibility
The logo of Statistics Korea is seen outside an office at its headquaters in Daejeon in this undated file photo. Yonhap
By Yi Whan-woo
Statistics Korea is considering adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the credibility of government data for households that are increasingly unwilling to do in-person surveys in the digital era, officials said Thursday.
They said the stats agency recently outsourced a feasibility study to the private sector to determine whether AI-driven surveys are more effective than in-person surveys in identifying household incomes, spending and consumption patterns.
"The study is anticipated to last throughout 2025, and AI-driven surveys may start in 2026 if such method is deemed practical," a Public Procurement Service (PPS) official said. The PPS oversees the government's purchase of goods and services from the private sector.
If AI is adopted, it will be used to collect, compile and analyze records of financial activities, such as receipts and bookkeeping journals, submitted through digital devices by a sample group of households.
A Statistics Korea official said that the need for AI gained ground as the sample group has not sufficiently provided the relevant financial records over the years.
The group is intended to represent the characteristics of a larger population for statistical analysis.
It is selected every six months across the country. For accurate research, the corresponding households are supposed to provide records on financial activities when Statistics Korea officials visit their homes.
According to the agency, the rate of these households that do not respond to in-person surveys went up from 42.1 percent in 2023 to 44.4 percent in 2024.
Notably, the 2024 rate more than doubled from 22 percent in 2013.
“We reckon more households are sensitive to privacy and are not willing to cooperate with us, especially considering many of them are single-person or dual-income families who are mostly not at home during the day,” a Statistics Korea official said.
The agency said it has been bolstering efforts to leverage AI for easier access to a wide range of statistical information, such as collaborating with tech giant Naver to answer the most frequently asked questions on statistical research.
The service was developed using HyperCLOVA X, Naver's AI-backed advanced Korean large language model.