SEOUL - Nearly 95 per cent of middle and high school students in Seoul have experience using generative AI tools, a study revealed on Jan 11, and more than 90 per cent of teachers have expressed concerns about students’ growing reliance on such technology.

According to the July 2025 study by the Seoul Education Research and Information Institute, 94.7 per cent of the 26,541 students surveyed had used generative AI, including OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini.

Specifically, 93.8 per cent of middle school students and 96.7 per cent of high school students said they had used generative AI tools at least once.

Among students who used generative AI, 80 per cent reported it was for academic purposes, with 42.5 per cent using it for classroom activities and 35.7 per cent for independent study.

Students were found to use generative AI more frequently in language-related subjects such as Korean and English.

More than 60 per cent of students reported using the tools in language classes, compared with 38.3 per cent in math, and less than 20 per cent in music and art.

In Korean classes, students said they used generative AI to create written assignments, presentations and visual infographics, as well as to summarise reading passages. In English classes, students reported using the tools to translate sentences and vocabulary and to check pronunciation.

The widespread use of generative AI among students has fueled concerns among teachers about over-reliance.

Some 93.4 per cent of the 3,334 teachers surveyed said they believed students were overly dependent on generative AI tools, while 92.4 per cent expressed concern about potential plagiarism.

Another 92.5 per cent said they worried students would passively consume information, undermining their ability to think critically.

However, fewer than half of teachers (47.6 per cent) said they had taught students how to use generative AI in class.