① We conduct a household survey using a representative sample that reflects the occupational distribution of the general population. The data obtained from this survey are then analyzed to assess the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies among Korean workers and its effects on productivity.  

② 63.5% of all surveyed workers report using generative AI in some capacity. Even when only work-related uses of AI are considered, the usage rate is 51.8%. This is nearly double the adoption rate in the U.S., as well as eight times the rate of internet adoption at its commercial debut in the early 1990s. With the average duration of use measured at 5-7 hours per week, AI use intensity is also substantially higher among Korean workers compared to their U.S. counterparts. However, the survey finds a significant degree of variation in the usage of AI according to demographic and occupational characteristics. The usage rate of AI is generally higher among men, young adults, highly educated individuals, and professional and managerial workers than in the rest of the population.

③ The use of generative AI tools reduces work hours by 3.8% on average (1.5 hours weekly, based on a 40-hour work week). The resulting increase in potential productivity is estimated at 1.0%. Time savings are more sizable for less-experienced workers, suggesting that the use of AI may have an equalizing effect of narrowing the gap in skills and experience between workers.

④ About 11% of workers are currently exposed to physical AI, in the form of collaboration with autonomous robots. This figure is expected to rise to as high as 27% in the future. While AI technologies are mainly impacting intellectual labor for the moment via generative AI tools, they are likely to also bring about a major transformation in the way physical labor is performed through physical AI.

⑤ 48.6% of workers feel that AI would have a positive impact on society, far exceeding the percentage of those who believe that its impact would be negative (17.5%). Moreover, a considerable number of workers indicate that they are considering retraining or upskilling (33.4%) or a job change (31.1%) in response to AI-driven job displacement and shifting skills demands. Finally, 32.3% of workers express a willingness to contribute to an AI development fund. When estimated based on the percentage of those surveyed to be willing to donate to an AI fund, such a fund could raise about KRW 38 trillion over the next five years.