South Korea advances in global AI race

South Korea ranks third worldwide in the number of notable artificial intelligence models, reflecting a sharp rise from just two years ago. The country also led in AI patents per capita, though talent outflows and a pronounced gender gap remain key challenges.

Stanford University’s Human-Centered AI Institute released its “AI Index 2026” report Monday, showing South Korea placed behind only the United States and China in the number of notable AI models introduced in 2025, with five entries. The United States led with 50 models, followed by China with 30.

The improvement is striking. A year earlier, South Korea had just one model on the list, EXAONE 3.5 developed by LG AI Research, placing it in a tie for fourth with Canada, France and the United Kingdom. In 2024, no South Korean models were included, prompting the government to raise concerns. The institute later said its data collection had focused largely on English- and Chinese-language models.

Despite the gains, the results highlight a narrow base of developers. Four of the five recognized models came from LG AI Research’s EXAONE series. An industry official said other domestic models selected under the government’s sovereign AI initiative were unveiled in December and may not have been reflected in the report. The official described the third-place ranking as meaningful, while noting that narrowing the gap with the top two countries remains a key task.

South Korea also posted strong results across other indicators. It ranked first globally in AI patents per capita for a second consecutive year, registering 14.3 patents per 100,000 people. Luxembourg followed with 12.25, ahead of China with 6.95, the United States with 4.68 and Japan with 4.3.

Adoption of AI and robotics across industry is accelerating. South Korea posted the largest increase in AI adoption rates in the second half of last year compared with the first, rising by 4.8 percentage points. Industrial robot installations reached about 30,600 units in 2024, placing the country fourth behind China, Japan and the United States.

The report also pointed to persistent challenges in retaining talent. South Korea ranked sixth among countries losing AI professionals to the United States, following India, Iran, Canada, the United Kingdom and Bangladesh.

Gender imbalance remains a notable concern. Men account for about 81 percent of the country’s AI workforce, compared with 19 percent for women. The Human-Centered AI Institute noted that South Korea, Brazil and Japan are the only countries where male representation exceeds 80 percent in the AI sector.


최지원 jwchoi@donga.com