According to a 25-country survey on “Global Perceptions of AI” conducted by the U.S. Pew Research Center, about half of respondents expressed concerns about AI. In Korea, meanwhile, more than half of office workers are using AI for their jobs, and 61% said they feel both optimism and concern equally.

As artificial intelligence (AI) spreads rapidly around the world, global concern appears to outweigh optimism. Korea, however, was identified as the country with the lowest level of concern about AI among the nations surveyed.

According to the “Global Perceptions of AI” report released on the 15th by the U.S. polling organization Pew Research Center, 34% of adults across 25 countries said they are “concerned about the spread of AI.” Another 42% said they “feel both excitement and concern at the same time,” while only 16% said they are “more excited than concerned.”

The survey was conducted between January 8 and April 26, 2025, and included 28,333 adults from 25 countries across the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, North America, and Sub-Saharan Africa.



Only 16% of Koreans said they are “more concerned” about the rise of AI, the lowest figure among 25 countries surveyed.

What is even more interesting is that 61% of Koreans said they “feel both expectation and concern at the same time.” In other words, they are neither blindly optimistic nor overly fearful, but are taking a cautious and balanced view. Meanwhile, 22% said they are “more excited than concerned,” the second-highest rate after Israel (29%).

This optimism appears to stem not from vague expectations, but from actual experience. A survey released by the Bank of Korea last August supports this view. According to the survey, 63.5% of Korean workers use generative AI, and even when limited to work purposes alone, 51.8% are actively using it. Compared to the U.S. workplace adoption rate of 26.5%, this is nearly double.

Usage time is also overwhelming. Korean workers use AI for an average of 5–7 hours per week, far exceeding the U.S. average of 0.5–2 hours. The proportion of “heavy users” (those using AI for more than one hour a day) was 78.6% in Korea, more than twice the U.S. figure of 31.8%.

The Bank of Korea stated that “the spread of generative AI is happening eight times faster than the adoption of the internet,” adding that “achieving this level of utilization just three years after the release of ChatGPT represents a revolutionary change in the speed of technology adoption.”


source: tech42

Summary: 

- Koreans have a strong tendency to view AI as a "practically helpful tool" rather than a "dangerous technology."

- In particular, having extensive direct experience with generative AI, they are experiencing improvements in work efficiency and productivity first, rather than vague fears.

- Korean office workers show an AI utilization rate more than double that of the United States.

original post: here

1. We're definitely going to be more comfortable without AI 

2. There's already people who can't do their jobs if they don't use AI

3. Just when I manage to finish a task with AI, they demand a higher level of expertise, so I have to somehow finish it again. it's a cycle ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ How can I not use it?ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹ã…‹

4. I really don't need to do the refining of my work, especially since my wages are frozen f*ck

5. No matter what kind of advancement it may be, our country is the best at adopting anything 

6. I use it so well, my work efficiency has increased, so I'm excited

7. Since we are a people of efficiency, it’s convenient to have someone readily available to use right away, whether for small daily tasks or company work

8. It is used so much, it would have been nice to have a smart domestic AI. It's a shame

9. Looking at Twitter alone, I was a bit surprised by how extremely negative overseas views are on the use of AI. I understand the concerns, but it made me think, "To this extent?"

10. It’s a good business idea, and Koreans are tech-savvy and hate falling behind.
As soon as AI gains attention, companies and institutions alike are adopting it, so we have to follow suit