SEOUL, South Korea — A new report reveals that Samsung Electronics is the undisputed leader in AI competitiveness within South Korea, but faces a significant gap when measured against global tech giants. The findings, from corporate data research firm CEO Score, highlight an urgent need for the nation to boost its overall AI technological capabilities.

The evaluation analyzed 191 domestic companies across six key metrics: technological prowess, patent activity, academic activity, research influence, AI technical personnel, and AI-major personnel. Samsung secured the top spot in every category, earning a perfect total score of 600. The company's impressive domestic performance includes 1,079 patent registrations and 59 papers published in the world's top three AI conferences.

Global Standing: A Stark Contrast 

While Samsung's domestic position is dominant, its global standing is less formidable. The report shows a stark contrast when comparing academic output on the international stage.

In the crucial metric of papers published in the world's top three AI conferences, Samsung ranked 12th globally with 59 papers. This places the company far behind a field dominated by U.S. and Chinese firms. Alphabet led the pack with a staggering 820 papers, followed by Microsoft (414), Meta (385), and Amazon (273). Chinese companies like ByteDance (249), Alibaba Group (235), and Tencent (210) also ranked ahead of Samsung.

Only two South Korean companies, Samsung and Naver, managed to place in the top 50 for both paper publications and citations, a clear indication of the domestic industry's struggle to compete with global big tech on research and development. The findings underscore the formidable challenge South Korea faces in closing the AI technology gap with global leaders.