1 in 4 Koreans experience generative AI services in 2024: survey

One in four Koreans have used generative artificial intelligence (AI) services, such as ChatGPT, last year, a government survey showed Thursday.

In the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) poll, which surveyed 4,420 people aged 15 to 69 who use smartphones and accessed the internet more than once a day, 24 percent of respondents said they had used generative AI services last year.

The figure is nearly double the 11.7 percent reported a year earlier. Users mainly utilized these services for text creation, voice and music generation and image production.

Seven percent said they paid for generative AI services in 2024, nearly a sevenfold increase from 0.9 percent a year earlier.

South Korea ranked second after the United States in terms of paid subscriptions for generative AI services, the KCC said.

By contrast, those who had not used the services cited reasons such as the high level of knowledge required and concerns over potential personal data leaks.

Respondents also expressed concerns over various side effects, including job displacement, reduced creativity, copyright infringement and possible illegal use of generative AI.