As warnings about the risks of artificial intelligence (AI) continue, more than half of domestic AI companies lack even basic safety management systems.
According to the '2025 AI Industry Status Report' published by the Software Policy Institute on September 20, 47.1% of companies had their own AI reliability and safety guidelines or frameworks last year. In contrast, 52.9% did not have such measures in place, and only 5.8% of those without plans to implement them indicated they would do so in the future, suggesting a similar situation will persist this year.
Among the surveyed companies, 73.8% reported developing AI based on open-source models. Of those using open-source models, a staggering 97.2% relied on foreign models, with only 1.6% utilizing domestic open-source models, indicating a concerning level of dependence on foreign technology.
Despite these challenges, the domestic AI market is experiencing rapid growth. AI industry revenue is projected to increase from 7.6938 trillion won in 2024 to an estimated 8.7823 trillion won in 2025, marking a 14.1% rise. During the same period, exports are expected to grow from 917.4 billion won to an estimated 1.4583 trillion won, a 59% increase.
The number of people employed in the AI sector also rose to 62,990 as of the end of June last year, a 5.9% increase from the previous year. However, the growth of AI has not been evenly distributed across the industry. Two AI hardware companies accounted for 58.6% of the expected export value last year, totaling 854.4 billion won.
Investment in research and development has not kept pace with the increases in revenue and exports. R&D investment in the AI sector grew by only 0.6%, from 48.386 trillion won in 2024 to 48.675 trillion won last year.
Companies reported that their biggest challenge is attracting investment, scoring 4.27 out of 5 on this issue. Difficulties in technology exchange and collaboration followed with a score of 3.98, and a lack of AI computing infrastructure scored 3.9.
This survey was conducted from September to November 2025, targeting 2,814 domestic AI-related companies. Revenue figures are based on confirmed data for 2024 and estimated results for 2025, while employment data reflects the situation as of the end of June 2025.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.