How Are Nonprofit Organizations in Korea Using AI?

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As generative AI rapidly spreads around the world, the number of cases utilizing AI across various sectors in Korean society is also increasing. This trend can also be confirmed through research. In a report published in April 2026 by the Korea Information Society Development Institute (KISDI), titled “The Digital Divide in Generative AI from the Perspective of AI Inclusion: Awareness, Usage, and Utilization,” it was explained that both awareness and usage rates of generative AI have increased significantly.

 

Then how much, and in what ways, are nonprofit organizations in Korea using AI? Recently, a series of studies on AI utilization within the nonprofit ecosystem has been released. In this article, I would like to introduce these recent studies and explore how Korean nonprofit organizations are using AI.

 

🌿AI Is Spreading Rapidly Across Korea’s Nonprofit Sector

 

Recent studies show that the use of generative AI is rapidly expanding within the nonprofit field. According to “A Survey on the Current Status and Perception of Generative AI Use Among Workers in Korean Nonprofit Organizations,” published by the Beautiful Foundation’s Center on Philanthropy, 92.7% of nonprofit workers reported using generative AI. In particular, 77.8% said they use AI at least two to three times a week, and among them, 51.3% responded that they use it almost every day.

 

In another study, “2026 Survey Results on AI Awareness and Utilization Among Nonprofit Activists,” conducted by the Daum Foundation, Yonsei University’s Center for the Welfare State, and Microsoft, 50.33% of respondents said they use AI in their work almost every day. Another 28.94% said they use it two to three times a week.

 

Regarding how AI is being used, the Beautiful Foundation study showed that it was mainly utilized for document and report writing (75.4%), research and information organization (71.1%), planning and idea generation (68%), and data organization and analysis (63%). Similarly, the Daum Foundation study found that AI was used for document and report writing (91%), research and information organization (82%), and image/design/video production (61%), showing that nonprofit organizations are using AI for similar purposes.

 

These results suggest that AI has already become an everyday tool within Korea’s nonprofit sector. However, the studies also found that organizational-level AI adoption and infrastructure building are still insufficient. According to the Beautiful Foundation survey, the rate of organization-wide AI adoption was only 26.8%, while the Daum Foundation survey found that only 3.19% of organizations were using AI in an integrated way across their operations. In particular, 56.16% responded that their organizations did not have AI guidelines.

 

At the individual level, nonprofit workers are actively using AI in their daily work, but at the organizational level, institutions are still struggling to keep pace with the speed of change. The world is changing rapidly, but many organizations have not yet fully caught up with that pace.

 

🍀Many of the Social Goals Pursued by Nonprofits Cannot Be Fully Explained by AI

 

These studies show that AI utilization in the nonprofit sector is no longer at the “experimental” stage, but has already become an actively used, everyday working tool. In particular, the Beautiful Foundation survey found that as the level of AI utilization increased, work engagement and energy/vitality also increased. However, work meaningfulness — in other words, a sense of mission — showed no statistical correlation with the level of AI utilization. Based on this, the report suggested that “the mission of nonprofits remains a unique area beyond AI.”

 

In other words, the fact that AI is now being actively used in the nonprofit sector — an area traditionally centered around people — suggests that nonprofits now face a new challenge: finding a balance between efficiency and people- and relationship-centered values.

 

🌱Conclusion

 

AI transformation has already begun within Korea’s nonprofit ecosystem. The pace is also extremely fast. At this moment, the important question is not how quickly organizations adopt AI, but how they choose to use it. For example, younger generations who are faster at absorbing and utilizing digital technologies, and senior generations who possess expertise and know-how built through long experience, may each use AI in different ways. Depending on how people with different work-related skills utilize AI, organizations may be able to improve both work efficiency and performance.

 

At the same time, there will also need to be ongoing discussions and processes of deliberation around the missions and values pursued by nonprofit organizations — things that cannot be fully explained by AI transformation alone.

 

Globally, Korea is already considered one of the countries that rapidly adopts and utilizes digital technologies. And now, it is preparing for another transformation through AI technology. I expect that discussions and deliberations on how to find a balance between technology and values will continue moving forward.

 

*Sources

-Beautiful Foundation Center on Philanthropy

Survey Results on the Current Status and Perception of Generative AI Use in Korean Nonprofit Organizations: AI and Nonprofits Facing the Waves of Change in Four Different Ways (2026.04)

-Daum Foundation & Yonsei University Center for the Welfare State & Microsoft

2026 Survey Results on AI Awareness and Utilization Among Nonprofit Activists: Patterns, Gaps, Tensions, and Changes Emerging in the AI Transformation Process of Nonprofits

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