Why do South Koreans love AI so much?

MIT Technology Review examines South Korea's unusually high adoption of and enthusiasm for AI tools, tracing roots in a culture shaped by intense competitive pressure, early state investment in digital infrastructure, and a pragmatic orientation toward technology as a tool for individual advancement. The piece finds that AI is less a novelty in South Korea than a continuation of existing patterns of technological integration into daily life, from education to immigration to transport. The country offers a rare case study in how social context shapes the terms on which a population accepts algorithmic systems.