Seoul:South Korea has achieved the 12th position in the global artificial intelligence (AI) diffusion ranking, with over 40 percent of its population utilizing the technology in the second quarter, as reported by Microsoft Corp.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the generative AI usage rate among South Koreans aged 15 to 64 increased by 3.5 percentage points from the previous quarter. This improvement led to a rise of four ranks for South Korea by the end of June, as detailed in the global AI diffusion report from the U.S. software developer.
Globally, the usage rate of generative AI increased by 1 percentage point, moving from 17.8 percent in the January-March period to 18.8 percent in the April-June period.
The report highlighted that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leads in AI adoption, with a usage rate of 73.3 percent, followed by Singapore at 64.3 percent, Ireland at 49.9 percent, and France at 49.6 percent.
The AI usage rate stands at 28.8 percent in the Global North and 16.2 percent in the Global South, which has widened the adoption gap to 12.6 percentage points. The Global North includes wealthy, industrialized nations such as the United States, South Korea, Japan, Israel, and New Zealand. The Global South refers to developing countries with lower income levels, including most of Africa, Latin America, and parts of Asia.
Microsoft noted that this divide reflects systemic challenges in the Global South, where limited access to electricity, internet connectivity, and digital skills continue to hinder adoption. The company warned that the benefits of generative AI will remain unevenly distributed until these gaps are addressed.