AI utilization in Korea 1.7 times ahead of global average, report finds

Koreans' level of AI utilization is 1.7 times more advanced than the global average, Google Korea said Thursday, citing a report from a global consulting firm.

According to the survey published by Public First, a London-based strategy consultancy, 40 percent of Koreans surveyed said companies preferred candidates with AI capabilities over others during the hiring process.

The survey also showed that 74 percent of Koreans were interested in education aimed at improving their AI capabilities.

Such a desire for AI-related education was also seen among Korean parents, with 85 percent of them saying learning how to effectively use AI is as important, if not more, than learning other subjects such as math and English.

The report also examined the effects of AI education on worker productivity.

Providing education on writing advanced AI prompts helped employees reduce their working hours by one-third, compared to using basic prompts, the report showed.

The annual productivity gain resulting from such education was estimated to be around 2.3 million won to 4.7 million won per person, the publication also said.

The survey was conducted on 1,057 adult Korean nationals from April 17 to 30, according to Google Korea.

Yonhap