Four out of 10 South Koreans said they used generative artificial intelligence (AI) last year, while concerns over the negative effects of AI grew from a year earlier, a government survey showed Thursday, Yonhap reports.
According to the latest findings, 38.9 percent of respondents said they have experience using generative AI, such as ChatGPT, in 2025, up 14.9 percent from a year earlier, marking the third consecutive year of increase.
The daily average time spent on generative AI services was 49.6 minutes, with more than 60 percent of respondents saying they use the technology for more than 30 minutes on average on a daily basis, the poll showed.
The most cited benefit of generative AI was its information search function, followed by support for time management and education.
Respondents also appeared to be more concerned over the side effects from AI compared to a year earlier.
The proportion of people who believed AI could be used to spread false information rose 9.6 percentage points on-year, while the proportion of people who expressed concern about AI being used in crimes rose 9 percentage points from last year.
Technical complexity was the most cited hurdle among non-users of generative AI, followed by subscription costs and concerns for privacy, the poll also said.
The survey was conducted on 4,324 people aged between 18 to 72, who said they access the internet through a smartphone, by the Korea Media and Communications Commission and the Korea Information Society Development Institute.
Earlier, Qazinform News Ageny reported that Kazakhstan had ranked among the countries least concerned about losing jobs due to artificial intelligence.