According to an analysis of national artificial intelligence (AI) competitiveness, South Korea lags behind other countries in terms of creating an AI ecosystem and investment.

On the 31st, U.S. AI customer relationship management (CRM) company Salesforce released the 'Global AI Readiness Index' report, which indicated that South Korea scored 1.8 out of 10 in the 'AI Ecosystem' category, which evaluates AI research and development (R&D) performance, startup activity, and industry-academia cooperation. This score is significantly lower than that of the United States (9.3 points) and India (4.0 points). The report pointed out that while South Korea showed strengths in infrastructure and some application technologies, it still heavily relies on large platforms for large-scale computing resources and foundation model development.

The report comprehensively analyzed the AI readiness level of countries based on five areas: △regulatory framework △AI adoption level across industries and government △AI ecosystem △investment environment △talent and capability development. The analysis included 16 countries, including South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, and Canada. China was excluded from the analysis.

Particularly, the 'investment environment' score, which measures the inflow of private and public capital and venture capital (VC) activity, was 0.8 points, below the average (1.4 points) and lower than India (1.0 points) and Saudi Arabia (0.9 points).

The report noted, “The lack of capital accessibility and investment networks is a major constraint on the expansion of South Korea's AI ecosystem.”

This is not the first time South Korea's AI capabilities have been assessed as lacking. According to the 'AI Index Report 2025' released by Stanford University's Human-Centered AI Institute (HAI) in April, private sector investment in AI in South Korea last year was USD 1.33 billion, down from USD 1.39 billion the previous year, dropping its investment scale ranking from 9th to 11th. Additionally, according to the 'AI Maturity Matrix' by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) at the end of last year, among 73 countries evaluated, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, China, and Singapore were selected as 'AI leading countries,' while South Korea was included in the next tier of 'AI stable competitive countries.'

However, the Salesforce report evaluated that South Korea showed strengths in AI regulation and dissemination areas. The 'regulatory framework' score, which refers to the legal and institutional foundation for AI adoption, was 9 out of 10, placing it in the top ranks alongside Singapore and the United Kingdom. The establishment of a national AI strategy and data governance system was particularly highly rated.

Furthermore, the 'AI adoption and readiness status,' which indicates the level of AI application across industries and government agencies, received a relatively high score of 6.7 points. The rapid application of AI in key industries such as manufacturing, smart cities, and logistics was highlighted as a strength.

Meanwhile, the report evaluated that the United States secured unparalleled competitiveness in innovation and capital input based on R&D investment and the startup ecosystem. Singapore received high scores for building a balanced model in regulation, dissemination, and talent sectors, while the United Kingdom and Canada were noted for AI application in healthcare and public services. Germany was expanding AI adoption based on manufacturing competitiveness and vocational education systems but showed weaknesses in capital attraction.

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