BCG Classifies Korea's AI Competitiveness as '2nd Tier' Following Top 5 Countries

Boston Consulting Group (BCG) released its "AI Maturity Matrix" report, classifying South Korea as an "AI steady contender" after the leading group of "AI pioneers." This report evaluated the status of AI adoption in 73 countries worldwide and conducted an in-depth analysis of the economic development potential based on each country's AI technology.

BCG's report identified the top five AI pioneers as Canada, China, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States. BCG stated, "These countries have combined investment and infrastructure to gain a competitive edge," and evaluated that "they hold a unique position in leading talent development and AI regulatory ethics."

South Korea was classified as an AI steady contender, which corresponds to the top 25% in competitiveness. This group includes 23 countries, such as France, Germany, Israel, Japan, and Taiwan. These countries showed similar ambition, policy and regulation, and investment levels to the leading countries but were relatively behind in skills and research and innovation. Following this, countries such as Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were classified as 'emerging contenders.'

BCG explained that the second-tier group, including South Korea, "lags slightly behind the pace of the leading countries," but added, "If they strengthen their innovation capabilities, their competitiveness and influence in the AI field will grow further." They also advised, "They should expand their share in niche or specialized markets."

For countries not in the top groups, BCG analyzed, "Most of the remaining countries are not prepared for AI innovation," and emphasized, "Policymakers need to work on enhancing AI competitiveness."

Although South Korea is in a high-ranking group, there is an analysis that South Korea's AI level, from a global perspective, may not reach the top-tier level as self-assessed domestically. The government has mainly cited the Global AI Ranking released by the UK's Tortoise Media when announcing AI-related fields. South Korea ranked 6th globally for two consecutive years, following last year, in this ranking. The government also cited this ranking in recent policy announcements, stating, "There is no significant difference among the third-tier group (Singapore, the UK, France, South Korea, Germany, and Canada) following the first-ranked United States and second-ranked China."

However, BCG's analysis grouped South Korea in the second-tier following the top five countries, showing a slight difference. The fact that Canada, which ranked lower than South Korea (8th) in Tortoise Media's ranking, was classified as a top-tier country also shows a difference. However, BCG did not assign individual rankings or scores for each country in this report, although it disclosed the scores for each group of countries.

The report projected that global AI-related spending would exceed approximately $632 billion (about 840 billion won) by 2028. This projection underscores the significant economic impact AI is expected to have globally, highlighting the importance of AI competitiveness for countries aiming to secure a leading position in the future technological landscape.