South Korea has entered the elite group of leading artificial intelligence (AI) nations alongside the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and Singapore for the first time. The country received positive evaluations for its public investments in developing its own AI models and expanding computing infrastructure.
The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) released its "AI Maturity Matrix 2026" report on October 20, analyzing AI maturity across more than 75 economies worldwide. South Korea is one of two economies newly entering the leading AI nations group since the first survey in 2024, alongside Japan.
BCG assesses the AI maturity of each economy based on AI exposure and AI readiness. Countries are classified into categories such as leading nations, competitive nations, practical nations, and emerging nations based on their maturity levels. AI exposure refers to the likelihood that major industries and jobs will be affected by AI, while AI readiness indicates a country's capacity to leverage opportunities created by AI. This readiness is analyzed through the "ASPIRE" framework, which includes six areas: national goals, talent capabilities, policies and regulations, investment, research and innovation, and ecosystem.
BCG noted that South Korea has excelled in developing its own AI models and has pursued large-scale public investments to build computing infrastructure and an AI ecosystem. The country ranked among the top five globally in notable AI model development, according to the "2026 AI Index" from Stanford University's Human-Centered AI Institute.
In this survey, nearly all economies showed progress in at least one area contributing to AI readiness. Eight economies, including South Korea and Japan, improved their AI readiness ratings compared to 2024.
BCG analyzed that the establishment of AI strategies has become common across most economies, shifting the focus of international competition from strategy formulation to execution. The speed at which AI strategies are connected to actual technological capabilities and changes in the economy has emerged as a key factor in determining national competitiveness.
Jörg Hildebrandt, BCG's global leader for the public sector and co-author of the report, stated, "Economies that have improved their AI readiness demonstrate that government execution is a crucial element in transforming AI strategies into practical capabilities. In the future, economies that secure competitiveness will be those that accelerate the AI transformation of core industries, which requires both attracting top AI talent and expanding private investment."
Hwang Hyung-jun, CEO of BCG Korea, emphasized the need to connect South Korean companies' industrial foundations with AI competitiveness. He remarked, "South Korea possesses a manufacturing base with global competitiveness, along with accumulated data and operational know-how in industrial settings. By combining these with AI, we can seek new growth opportunities in the fields of industrial AI and physical AI."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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