KFTC Launches 'AI Service Market Survey' Targeting 46 AI Companies

Stage 1: Written Survey Targeting 46 Companies
Stage 2: Consumer Survey

The Korea Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) announced on May 21 that it will conduct an “AI Service Market Survey” targeting major domestic and foreign businesses participating in the domestic artificial intelligence (AI) service market.

This survey is the third initiative following the 2024 survey on AI infrastructure and foundational models and the 2025 survey on data. Its aim is to examine the business practices and competitive landscape of the “AI implementation and service” market, which is the lowest end of the value chain directly connected to consumers. The KFTC is taking preemptive action as the integration of AI into smartphones, automobiles, and social networking services accelerates, raising concerns regarding increased market concentration and other competitive constraints, as well as potential consumer harm caused by false or exaggerated advertising.

The survey will be conducted in two stages in accordance with Article 87, Paragraph 1 of the Monopoly Regulation and Fair Trade Act (written survey). The first stage, targeting businesses, will begin in May. A total of 46 companies will be included: 29 major domestic and foreign AI service developers, as well as 17 companies that provide “embedded product offerings” by integrating AI services in their own products, such as Samsung Electronics and Apple. The main survey items include: ▲Current status of business transactions related to AI services and embedded offerings ▲Competitive landscape in the market ▲Methods of providing services to consumers ▲Experience with competitive restrictions or unfair trade practices.

The second stage, targeting consumers, is scheduled to begin in July 2026. This phase will investigate the usage patterns and awareness levels of consumers actually using generative AI services, providing in-depth insight into the market characteristics directly affecting consumers.

The KFTC plans to thoroughly analyze the results of this survey, gather expert opinions, and publish a policy report titled “AI Downstream Market and Competition,” outlining the future direction of competition policy, within this year.

The KFTC stated, “Global competition authorities such as the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and France’s Autorité de la concurrence (FCA) have also begun research and analysis on the AI service market,” adding, “Through this survey, we will work to create an environment in which domestic startups can compete fairly.”

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