South Korea’s AI Adoption Rate Rises 10 Percentage Points in a Year... One Company Adopts AI Every Minute

[Financial News] Six out of 10 South Korean companies are using artificial intelligence (AI) in their operations, a survey found. AI adoption has risen by 10 percentage points in a year, while 81% of companies using AI reported improved productivity, indicating that AI is spreading rapidly.
According to the “Realizing Korea’s AI Potential 2026” study conducted by research firm Strand Partners at the request of Amazon Web Services (AWS), 58% of South Korean companies currently use AI. That figure is up 10 percentage points from 48% a year earlier.
The survey of 1,000 South Korean business leaders and 1,000 members of the general public found that approximately 624,000 companies adopted AI over the past year. In other words, more than one company adopted AI every minute.
The expansion of AI adoption is translating into tangible business value. Some 81% of companies using AI said their productivity had improved, saving an average of 14 hours per week. Nearly six out of 10 companies also reported increased revenue. Their willingness to expand AI use was strong, with 84% of adopters expecting to increase their use of AI over the next 12 months.
Many companies are moving beyond proving AI’s value and are now building the foundation needed to scale it across their organizations. They are seeking to turn successful use cases into repeatable, secure, and measurable business capabilities.
Kee Ho Ham, head of AWS Korea, said, "South Korean companies have built significant momentum in AI, and many are already achieving tangible results in productivity and growth. The key question now is not whether to adopt AI, but how to scale it across the business. As AI technology becomes increasingly sophisticated, organizations with a strong foundation spanning data, capabilities, governance, and technology will be best positioned to turn successful AI use cases into sustained business value."
South Korean companies are rapidly shifting toward more advanced uses of AI. The share of companies remaining at the basic stage fell from 70% to 54%, while the proportion reaching the most advanced stage more than doubled, from 11% to 26%. ICT (41%) and manufacturing (35%) are leading advanced adoption. While 35% of startups have reached that stage, the figures were 25% for small and medium-sized enterprises and 9% for large companies.
Companies that have or are planning an AI strategy identified access to skilled AI talent (48%), data governance and security (44%), and reliable cloud and digital infrastructure (39%) as the most important factors for expanding AI use.
Companies are already turning their attention to next-generation technologies such as physical AI. Six percent have fully adopted physical AI, 22% are piloting it, and 39% are planning to adopt it.
However, only 24% of companies said they were sufficiently or very well prepared to adopt next-generation AI. Among startups, the corresponding figure was 43%. A lack of AI and digital capabilities (46%) and technology- and data-related barriers (38%) were cited as the main obstacles.
As AI becomes more advanced and computationally intensive, companies are focusing less on the technology itself and more on the conditions that enable scale. Some 74% said a stable power supply was important to their long-term AI investment decisions, while 48% identified public-private cooperation as one of the most important factors in expanding South Korea’s AI infrastructure capabilities.
[email protected] Jang Min-kwon Reporter