ABOUT 30% of elementary schools in South Korea have adopted artificial intelligence (AI) powered digital textbooks in their first year, with lower usage in middle and high schools.
The AI textbooks, introduced in March this year, are available for English, mathematics, and computer informatics in some elementary, middle, and high school grades, and schools can choose whether to use them.
The government plans to expand AI textbooks to most subjects by 2028, excluding art, music, physical education, and ethics, The Korea Herald reported.
According to Education Ministry data, 1,843 (29.1%) of 6,339 elementary schools use AI textbooks for third-grade English, while 1,813 (28.6%) use them for mathematics, with similar adoption rates for fourth grade.
For middle schools, 26.9% use AI textbooks for first-year English and 26.1% for mathematics, while in high schools, the rates are 24.4% for English and 23.8% for mathematics, with 3,870 (32.4%) of 11,932 schools using them for at least one subject.
However, despite the rollout, concerns remain about infrastructure and teacher readiness.
A December 17 survey by the Korean Teachers & Educational Worker’s Union shows that 98.5% of 2,626 teachers felt unprepared for the transition.
Adoption rates also vary by region, with 98% of schools in Daegu using AI textbooks for at least one subject, compared to 8% in Sejong, 9% in South Jeolla, 12% in Gwangju, 45% in North Gyeongsang, and 10% in South Gyeongsang.
