An analysis found that Korea's use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is growing the fastest in the world.
According to the first-quarter AI diffusion report published on the 12th by Microsoft (MS) think tank AI Economy Institute, Korea's Generative AI usage rate (the share of the working-age population using Generative AI) was 37.1% in the first quarter of this year. It rose 6.4 percentage points from the previous quarter, the steepest growth worldwide.
The global usage rate was 17.8%, up 1.5 percentage points from the previous quarter (16.3%).
In 26 economies, more than 30% of the working-age population uses AI.
By country, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) had the highest usage rate at 70.1%. It was followed by Singapore (63.4%), Norway (48.6%), Ireland (48.4%), and France (47.8%). Korea ranked 16th.
The report assessed that Asia has emerged as a key growth driver leading global AI diffusion. Of the 15 fastest-growing economies after June 2025, 12 were in Asia, and all of them saw their numbers of AI users increase by at least 25%. Korea (+43%), Thailand (+36%), and Japan (+34%) led the growth. The report attributed Asia's AI diffusion to ▲ long-term investment in digital infrastructure ▲ national AI strategies ▲ high consumer acceptance ▲ improved performance of major models in local Asian languages ▲ and the capacity to rapidly integrate new technologies into daily life and economic activity.