4 Out of 10 Seoul Residents Use Generative AI...Distinct Generational Divide Evident

Last year, 4 out of 10 Seoul residents reported having experience using generative artificial intelligence (AI). This figure has tripled in just two years. However, a clear generational gap has emerged in both AI usage and preparedness.

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The Seoul AI Foundation announced on April 20 the results of its "2025 Seoul Citizens' Digital Competency Survey," conducted with 5,500 Seoul residents. The findings show that generative AI has become a regular part of daily life for Seoul citizens and that overall digital competency has improved. Nonetheless, the survey revealed a distinct generational divide in both AI usage and readiness.

Digital competency among Seoul residents showed overall improvement compared to 2023. The "digital information comprehension" category saw the largest increase, rising from 53.8 to 57.6 points. The "digital safety" category also increased, from 49.6 to 51.7 points. Other categories, such as digital service utilization (68.1 to 68.2 points), digital device usage (67.0 to 68.1 points), and digital ethics (62.1 to 64.1 points), also increased slightly compared to 2023.

Generative AI is rapidly becoming part of everyday life. The survey found that 43.2% of Seoul residents have used generative AI. This is a 27.8 percentage point increase from the 15.4% reported in 2023, representing an approximately threefold increase in two years. By age group, the usage rate among those under 55 was 63.9%, while the rate for older adults was only 12.2%, highlighting a significant generational gap in experience.

The percentage of paid generative AI users was 10.6%. By age, 23.8% of those in their 20s, 20.1% of those in their 30s, and 11.2% of those in their 40s reported paid use, indicating that the younger the age group, the higher the rate of paid usage.

The most common purpose for using generative AI was "information search" (92.2%), followed by "casual conversation" (65.2%) and "document work" (44.0%). Notably, usage for "casual conversation" increased by 42.9 percentage points compared to 2023, suggesting that the application of generative AI is expanding beyond information seeking to more everyday communication.

When asked if they felt "prepared" for the AI era, only 46.8% of citizens responded positively, meaning that more than half still feel unprepared. The generational gap was particularly pronounced: 65.0% of those under 55 said they felt prepared, while only 19.6% of older adults felt ready, with just 2 out of 10 in this group feeling prepared for the AI era.

Regarding the impact of AI, both positive and negative perceptions were reported. As positive effects, respondents cited "ease of information search and understanding" (89.5%) and "improvement in everyday convenience" (84.8%). On the negative side, there were significant concerns about the "weakening of creative thinking and decision-making abilities" (84.1%) and "social conflict caused by deepfakes and biased information" (82.3%).

The experience rate for using kiosks was 87.7%, a 6.0 percentage point increase compared to 2023, with a significant rise among older adults as well. The usage rate among the elderly increased by 14.6 percentage points, from 57.1% in 2023 to 71.7% in 2025, with the largest increase seen among those aged 65 and over. However, 63.3% of older adults still experienced inconvenience when using kiosks. The main reasons cited were "difficulty applying options" (50.9%) and "feeling pressure from people waiting behind them" (47.2%).

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is currently operating a variety of digital support systems for digitally vulnerable groups, including: ▲Seoul Digital Companion Plaza (5 locations), ▲Seoul AI Digital Learning Centers (7 locations), ▲Our Neighborhood Digital Information Centers (78 locations), and ▲124 Digital Guides.

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Kim Manki, President of the Seoul AI Foundation, stated, "Based on the survey results, we will strive to help all citizens utilize AI to make their lives more convenient and efficient, and to realize a Seoul that moves forward together with AI."

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