Korea has the highest level of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption environment among major countries, but a recent survey found that its AI ecosystem and investment environment are among the lowest.
Salesforce revealed this on the 31st through the 'Global AI Readiness Index' report, which analyzes AI competitiveness and preparedness by country.
The Global AI Readiness Index assessed 16 countries, including Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Germany. Salesforce derived the level of preparedness for each country based on five areas: regulatory framework, AI adoption level across industries and government, AI ecosystem, investment environment, and talent and capability development.
Korea demonstrated strengths in the areas of AI regulation and dissemination among the 16 countries. According to the report, Korea scored 9 out of 10 points in the 'regulatory framework' sector, which indicates the legal and institutional basis supporting AI adoption. The score for AI adoption and preparedness level, representing the application level within industries and government agencies, was recorded at 6.7 points. The report particularly noted the rapid expansion of AI applications in key industries such as manufacturing, smart cities, and logistics.
On the other hand, the score for creating an AI ecosystem, which evaluates outcomes of research and development and startup activities as well as levels of industry-academia cooperation, was low at 1.8 points. While strengths were shown in infrastructure and some application technologies, there was a recognition that dependence on large platforms remains high compared to leading AI countries in terms of large-scale computing resources and foundation model development.
The investment environment score, which measures the influx of private and public capital as well as venture capital activity, was the lowest at 0.8 points. The report stated, "The lack of access to capital and investment networks is the main constraint on the expansion of Korea's AI ecosystem," and noted, "Comprehensive improvements are needed to secure growth and innovation momentum for AI startups."
The report diagnosed that the United States has secured unparalleled competitiveness in innovation and capital input based on investment in research and development and its startup ecosystem. Singapore received high scores for establishing a balanced model in regulation, dissemination, and talent sectors. The United Kingdom and Canada attracted attention for their applications of AI in the healthcare and public service sectors, along with strong data governance. Germany is expanding AI adoption based on its manufacturing competitiveness and vocational training system but showed weaknesses in attracting capital.
Salesforce emphasized the need for cooperation between government and industry to strengthen AI agent competitiveness by country. Key tasks identified include global regulatory harmonization, talent development, creating investment environments to enhance AI accessibility for small and medium-sized enterprises, encouraging AI governance models that consider the characteristics of each industry, and accelerating cross-border research and development and safety standard investment to strengthen global cooperation.
Meanwhile, AI technology is evolving from predictive to generative AI and is developing into AI agents (assistants), establishing itself as a key technology that supports decision-making and execution beyond simple automation. According to the report, AI agent adoption is expected to increase by about 327% within the next two years compared to the current level.
Salesforce Korea CEO Son Boo-han said, "The introduction of AI agents is similar to a car race. Some countries are already speeding ahead on prepared tracks, competing in the lead segments, while many countries are still in the process of establishing tires, roads, and traffic regulations to operate new engines safely." He added, "Salesforce will support domestic corporations in quickly completing this preparation to achieve tangible outcomes in productivity innovation based on AI technology and the creation of new business value."