Only 1 in 10 Small Businesses in Seoul Use AI... Cost Is the Biggest Barrier to Adoption

Korea Federation of SMEs Releases Results of "Survey on AI Awareness and Utilization Level among Small Business Owners in Seoul"

Only 1 out of 10 small business owners in Seoul are utilizing AI, according to a recent survey. The biggest challenge in the adoption process was cost.

On November 24, the Seoul Regional Headquarters of the Korea Federation of SMEs announced the results of the "Survey on AI Awareness and Utilization Level among Small Business Owners in Seoul," which was conducted from September 10 to 18 with 300 small businesses in Seoul as respondents.

The survey found that only 9.7% of respondents said they were currently using AI in their businesses. Meanwhile, 23.0% said they planned to use AI in the future, and 67.3% responded that they had neither experience with nor plans to use AI. This indicates that while the concept of AI is recognized, its actual adoption in the field remains limited.

AI. Getty Images Bank

Regarding the level of understanding of AI, 24.7% said they "understand it well," and 41.3% said they "understand it to some extent," meaning a total of 66.0% had some level of awareness. Interest in utilizing AI was also relatively high, with 21.0% "very interested" and 40.7% "somewhat interested," totaling 61.7%. However, the main reasons why awareness and interest did not translate into actual adoption were identified as the burden of initial costs and a lack of technical capabilities.

The biggest difficulty in the AI adoption process was the burden of initial costs (69.0%), followed by a lack of AI-related knowledge or personnel (30.7%), and difficulties integrating AI with existing systems (23.0%).

These results show that although small business owners are well aware of the necessity and usefulness of AI, the burden of initial costs is the key factor preventing actual adoption. Among the businesses surveyed, 69% responded that "AI is necessary, but the cost is burdensome," confirming the need for policy-based financial support.

As for support policies to promote AI utilization, the most requested was hands-on training (47.7%), followed by the provision of success stories and information (41.0%), and basic or practical education (30.3%). More than half of the respondents (54.7%) said that "direct financial support from the Seoul Metropolitan Government is necessary," clearly indicating the demand for practical support.

Park Jongseok, head of the Seoul Regional Headquarters, stated, "This survey provides concrete results regarding the current status of AI utilization and policy demand among small business owners in Seoul," and added, "The Seoul Metropolitan Government and the Korea Federation of SMEs should work together to accelerate the transition to an AI-based business environment and further develop the Yellow Umbrella program into a comprehensive safety net that combines welfare and digital support."

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