Nearly Half of Koreans Use Generative AI... ChatGPT Tops Usage at 42%

AI Service Usage Rate Doubles in Four Years
Office Workers Lead in Generative AI Experience

Nearly half of the population has used generative AI models, according to recent findings. The proportion of people who have experienced AI services in areas such as residential convenience, transportation, and education has more than doubled over the past four years.

EPA Yonhap News

The Ministry of Science and ICT announced the results of the "2025 Internet Usage Survey" on March 31. The survey examined individuals' internet environments and the use of major services. It was conducted with 22,671 households nationwide, covering 50,750 household members aged three years or older.

As of last year, 67% of respondents had experienced AI services. The experience rate has been increasing each year: 32.4% in 2021, 42.4% in 2022, 50.8% in 2023, and 60.3% in 2024. The most commonly used AI services were in the field of residential convenience—such as housekeeping support robots and Internet of Things (IoT) appliances—at 35.9%. This was followed by transportation (25.6%), communication and social interaction (20.9%), and education and learning (19.1%).

The percentage of respondents who had used generative AI models reached 44.5% last year, a rise of 11.2 percentage points from the previous year (33.3%). Among these, ChatGPT was the most used service at 41.8%, followed by Gemini (9.8%), Copilot (2.2%), and Clova X (2%). Additionally, the proportion of those who subscribed to paid AI services stood at 7.9%, with ChatGPT accounting for the highest share at 7.3%. Among those who had not used generative AI models, 49.5% cited "no interest or need" as the reason. In their 60s (25.3%) and those aged 70 or older (26.1%), many answered that they "did not know how to use" such services.

By occupation, the experience rate for generative AI models was highest among office workers at 71.9%. The actual paid subscription rate was especially high among professionals and managers, at 20.6%. By region, the highest experience rates were in Sejong (53.2%), Daejeon (53.1%), and Seoul (52.8%), while the highest paid subscription rates were in Seoul (11.4%), Gyeonggi (9.9%), and Gangwon (9.1%).

Responses to the impact of AI were generally positive. When asked whether AI services provided by the government and businesses have a positive effect on society as a whole, 66.8% answered "yes." Additionally, 57% agreed that "AI services are fair and non-discriminatory," and 54.7% said they "trust the information or outputs provided by AI services."

The internet usage rate among household members aged three and older reached 95%, up 0.5 percentage points from the previous year. Of internet users, 95.2% used the internet at least once a day, spending an average of 21.6 hours per week online. Gwangju had the highest internet usage rate at 97.8%, while Jeonnam recorded the lowest at 91.1%.

Among internet users, 98% used instant messengers. The most popular messenger was KakaoTalk at 98%, followed by Instagram Direct Message (28.8%) and Facebook Messenger (10.1%). In addition, 96.3% of internet users accessed video services, spending an average of 7.9 hours per week on them.

Hong Seongwan, Director of Information and Communications Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "Through this survey, we have confirmed that the rapid spread of generative AI is transforming AI from a mere technical tool into a key driver of innovation in everyday life and workplaces. We will continue to pursue policies to enhance individuals' AI capabilities and to establish a trustworthy environment for AI usage."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.