KLRI : KOREA LEGISLATION RESEARCH INSTITUTE

I. Background and Purpose of Research

▶ Background

○ In order to effectively support policies as a leading AI nation and to address areas and sectors that are difficult to identify through existing quantitative surveys, it is necessary to conduct a more detailed and effective investigation to understand the general and overall public perception. This is essential for the stable technological development and the establishment of legislation necessary for effective policy support as a leading AI nation.

▶ Purpose

○ As part of the AI Legal Research Project, we conducted public perception surveys and corporate perception surveys. Based on the results of these surveys, we aim to analyze the content to effectively support AI policy.

 

Ⅱ. Contents

▶ Public Perception Survey Questionnaire

○ 'Survey on Public Awareness of Major AI Policies and Legislative Issues' aims to investigate public awareness of key legislative policy issues related to AI. This social survey is designed to establish a foundation for ongoing AI-related legislative policy research by examining public perceptions of major AI policies and legislative tasks.

- In preparation for legislation related to the use of AI in administration, as conducted in the Korea Legislation Research Institute's 'Study on Legislative Measures for AI-Based Administration' (2022), this social survey is designed based on the survey questions from the 'Legislative Opinion Survey on AI Administration' (September 14-19, 2022) to conduct a time-series analysis of public perceptions and opinions on related issues.

▶ Analysis of Public Perception Survey Results

○ 22 vs. 24 Comparison

- Key Comparable Items: Fourteen questions from the 2022 and 2024 surveys are comparable. However, some questions may be difficult to compare directly due to changes in scales (e.g., the AI familiarity question in 2022 has been subdivided into interest and understanding in 2024, and new features such as AI drawing, coding, and novel writing have been added in 2024).

○ Overall Expectations and Perceptions of Threats

- AI Expectation Level Changes: The overall evaluation of AI remains similar, but the positive evaluation of image recognition has decreased. This reflects an increased understanding due to the experience with AI that generates images.

- Changes in AI Perceived Threats: In 2024, the level of agreement on the threats posed by AI has decreased, indicating a more realistic perception of AI.

○ AI Awareness and Experience

-  Interest and Understanding of AI According to a national survey on AI awareness, 62.2% of the population showed high interest in AI, and 67.1% responded that they have a good understanding of AI. (The "Don't know" scale in 2022 was changed to "Neutral" in 2024 to reflect a more realistic respondent tendency). The main areas of interest were information retrieval, assistant services, drawing, and programming coding.

- Experience with AI 86.1% of the population reported having experience using AI (evenly distributed across products/services, public services, and work-related uses). The higher the experience with AI, the higher the positive evaluation of AI.

- Opinions on Future AI Adoption Regarding attitudes toward AI adoption, 76% of respondents supported the adoption of AI. This positive perception is due to the expectation of increased productivity and convenience in daily life.

○ Prospects and Attitudes towards AI

- Classification of Attitudes Towards AI

  Traditional studies focus on specific areas of AI utilization or threats, limiting their ability to draw insights for legislative direction based on overall public consciousness. This study typifies public attitudes and experiences related to AI and reflects a comprehensive outlook on AI by categorizing into “Utilization of Opportunities”, “Preparation for Threats”, and “Response to Changes”.

- Response to Changes Related to AI

  In questions about responding to social changes caused by AI, over 70% of respondents expected that advancements in AI technology would bring significant changes to individuals and society within the next five years (an increase in change prediction over two years).

- Utilization of Opportunities Related to AI

  Especially in the transportation sector, AI is perceived to be rapidly responding to changes. However, transportation and tax/finance sectors are also evaluated as slow in response, reflecting high expectations. Those with AI experience show positive attitudes   towards changes and a high willingness to learn, emphasizing the need for individual learning and the expansion of digital infrastructure led by the government to prepare for changes.

- Preparation for Threats Related to AI

  The legislative priority for preparing for AI threats ranked the highest, reflecting a relatively strong perception of AI threats, but the importance of utilizing opportunities and responding to changes was also significant (41.9% for threat preparation, 29.3% for opportunity utilization, 28.8% for change response). Groups with low interest or understanding focused more on threat preparation, while younger groups and those with AI experience had a more positive perception of opportunity utilization.

○ Legislative Policies and Issue Awareness

- Legislative Response to AI

  The expected effects of AI technology adoption include enhanced administrative efficiency, expanded personalized services, and innovations in healthcare and transportation. However, high-risk areas such as accountability, data security, bias and discrimination, and deep-fake technologies require preparation. Legislation is needed to support social changes brought by AI, confirming the importance of legislation for addressing changes, utilizing opportunities, and preparing for threats. Groups with AI experience particularly emphasized the need for legislation, indicating the necessity for a balanced legislative approach to the various impacts of AI on society.

▶ Analysis of Corporate Perception Survey Results

○ The corporate perception survey aims to collect opinions from employees and managers in the finance, manufacturing, and IT sectors  regarding the adoption of AI technology. Based on this, it will be used as foundational data to understand the impact of AI on the labor market and to review the direction of legislative measures in response. Additionally, it aims to identify various perspectives on the potential use and regulatory needs of AI in the field of labor law, providing necessary information for policy-making.

- Among various industries, targeting employees and managers in the manufacturing, finance, and IT sectors, we will set a sample of 150 employees for each industry: 50 employees from companies that have not adopted AI, 50 employees from companies that have adopted AI and are actually using it, and 50 employees from companies that have adopted AI but are not using it. For managers, we will set a sample of 20 managers for each industry: 10 managers from companies that have adopted AI and 10 managers from companies that have not adopted AI.

○ The OECD aims to understand the current state of our country by utilizing a survey conducted in 2022 on the perceptions of workers and employers regarding the impact of AI on current and future jobs. This survey targeted 5,334 workers and 2,053 companies in the manufacturing and finance sectors in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

 

Ⅲ. Expected Effects

○ As AI technology rapidly advances, it is necessary to understand public perception and direction to establish a legal foundation for AI regulation. Furthermore, it is essential to prepare basic data for the legislative direction and institutional improvement of AI legislation.

- Utilizing AI Expansion and Establishing Effective Legislation Policies as a Leading AI Nation Based on the Current Situation in Korea.