KITA: Less Than 10% of Trade Companies Utilize AI... Government Support and Corporate Action Needed

Only 16.9% of Trade Companies Utilize AI
Cited "Cost Burden" as a Major Obstacle
"Need for Industrial AI Internalization"

While the restructuring of key industries around artificial intelligence (AI) is progressing rapidly, the actual utilization of AI in the field by companies remains significantly low.

According to a survey included in the report "Changes in Korea's Key Export Industries Driven by the AI Era," released by the Korea International Trade Association's Institute for International Trade and Commerce on June 9, 78.0% of respondents from the Korean trade sector (396 companies) said that adopting AI is necessary to improve efficiency. However, only 16.9% of responding companies were actively using AI to enhance productivity or perform tasks proactively, while another 68.7% were either using AI in a limited manner or were still considering its adoption.

Regarding AI utilization, companies primarily applied it to idea-based tasks such as ▲marketing and branding (21.9%, multiple responses allowed) and ▲product and service planning/development (19.7%, multiple responses allowed). However, the usage rate in core operational areas such as production and manufacturing, finance, and human resources remained below 10% in all cases. The most frequently cited challenges in adopting AI were ▲cost burden (26.1%, multiple responses allowed) and ▲shortage of skilled personnel (25.4%, multiple responses allowed).

Korea International Trade Association CI

The report emphasized that the structure of Korea's key export industries is rapidly changing due to AI, and whether or not AI is internalized will become a crucial factor in determining export competitiveness. In fact, the semiconductor industry is shifting its ecosystem toward AI-specialized semiconductors, while in the automotive sector, the transition to autonomous driving and software-defined vehicles (SDVs) as "driving platforms" is accelerating. The machinery industry is advancing with a focus on smart equipment, such as predictive maintenance (technology for predicting failures in advance) and autonomous manufacturing, while the bio-health industry is creating new opportunities through AI-based drug development and advancements in personalized medical devices.

The report pointed out that, although Korea has strong manufacturing competitiveness and possesses vast amounts of data, there is a lack of refined data and interconnected infrastructure available for industrial AI applications. Therefore, it stressed that both phased government support and proactive responses from companies are needed to foster an industrial AI ecosystem. For example, following an AI internalization roadmap?consisting of "AI adoption assessment → infrastructure building → solution exploration → internalization"?the government should strengthen customized support such as consulting, data standardization, solution matching, and cost reduction, while companies should actively participate to help build the AI ecosystem.

Kang Sungeun, a senior researcher at the Korea International Trade Association, stated, "AI is fundamentally changing the competitive landscape of export industries," adding, "In particular, public-private cooperation is essential to help small and medium-sized enterprises effectively internalize industrial AI based on manufacturing data, ultimately moving toward 'sovereign AI.'"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.