80% of young Korean workers turn to AI for solutions: report

A recent report showed that artificial intelligence technology is a go-to tool in the workplace for an overwhelming majority of young adults in South Korea, who favor AI at a far greater rate than their counterparts in other countries.

Samsung Electronics released "The 2024 AI-Preneur Effect" looking into how Gen Z is using cutting-edge technology to boost their careers, and it showed 80 percent of young people in Korea are dependent on AI as a go-to resource. Following the Koreans were 61 percent of young Germans, 59 percent in the UK, 56 percent in the US and 55 percent in France.

A total of 5,048 people participated in the survey in the five countries, including 1,021 in South Korea.

“These findings show AI has become pivotal for young entrepreneurs and offer a glimpse into how the technology can open -- not close -- new skills, new passions and, ultimately, new career paths,” said Stephanie Choi, executive vice president and the head of marketing for mobile experience business at Samsung Electronics.

An overall 75 percent of all respondents agreed that AI helps them get things done more effectively, with 80 percent of Koreans saying so. Koreans were most optimistic toward "the potential of AI to transform my approach to work," with 81 percent of them answering affirmatively to the question, followed by 66 percent of those in the UK and 65 percent of those in Germany.

But it was also Koreans who were most stressed by the volume of new mobile applications using AI. They led in the category of "feel overwhelmed by the volume of new AI apps," with 75 percent saying so, compared to 63 percent from the UK and 62 percent from Germany.

Those with side jobs were more likely to be open to AI technology, as the survey showed 62 percent of the global cohort said AI is the first go-to resource for help at work, but 69 percent of those with side jobs answered so.

The report found that people with side jobs using AI on a daily basis were using it for a wide range of tasks, from documentation and research to creating new content. For Koreans, 46 percent were using it to summarize documents or meeting notes, 37 percent to create written or visual content and 36 percent to conduct research or find inspiration.