Seoul ranks 3rd overall and 1st in AI adoption in Observer's 2026 AI City Index
In short
Seoul placed third overall in the Observer's 2026 AI City Index and first in the AI adoption and use category, the Seoul city government said on 22 October. San Francisco and New York ranked first and second overall. The index covers 57 cities in 36 countries.
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Seoul placed third overall in the Observer's 2026 AI City Index and first in the AI adoption and use category, the Seoul city government said on 22 October. San Francisco ranked first and New York second overall, followed behind Seoul by Beijing (4th), Paris (5th) and London (6th). [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The index assessed 57 cities in 36 countries across three areas: investment, innovation and adoption and use. The adoption and use category covers the infrastructure, institutions and skilled personnel needed to use AI in business, government and the community. Newsis added that Tokyo was third and Singapore fifth in that category, and that the index rests on 50 indicators. Newsis said it was the first time the index was produced at city level, based on the experience of Tortoise Media, which has published a Global AI Index on national AI competitiveness since 2019. [ 1 ]
According to the Seoul city government, the Observer classed Seoul with Paris and Abu Dhabi as leading examples of government-led AI cities. It also pointed to national investment in semiconductors and data centres and to the semiconductor industry base in the Seoul metropolitan area as supporting Seoul's AI competitiveness. The Observer cited a business-university cooperation system helping small and medium-sized firms that struggle to secure AI talent and infrastructure as an example of Seoul's AI policy. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Newsis reported that the Observer judged Seoul and other major Asian cities to have the institutional base to spread AI across the public sector, and described public-sector AI adoption in San Francisco and New York as dispersed across individual pilot projects. [ 1 ]
Yonhap and Kyunghyang Shinmun described the Observer as a newspaper founded in 1791 and acquired by Guardian Media Group, acting as the Sunday edition of the Guardian. [ 2 , 3 ]
Yonhap added that the city said the Observer was named newspaper of the year at the British Press Awards. [ 2 ]
The city announced a vision of becoming a leading global AI innovation city in February last year and a physical AI leading city vision in January this year. In March it launched the Seoul Metropolitan Government AI Committee and set up a framework for 61 AI administrative projects. Yonhap and Newsis said it uses AI in a dawn autonomous bus service, smart care services and flood prediction on roads. The city is preparing a Seoul Youth AI Ladder offering generative AI vouchers, education and workspace, for which it is seeking a place in next year's main budget. Mayor Oh Se-hoon said he would make sure Seoul's accumulated AI competitiveness leads to business growth and better quality of life for citizens, strengthening talent development and business support and widening the chance for young people to use AI. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The result is relayed mainly through the Seoul city government, which uses it to back its AI policy drive. The documents give no independent assessment of the ranking beyond what the city says the Observer wrote.
Key facts
- Seoul ranked third overall in the Observer's 2026 AI City Index, behind San Francisco (1st) and New York (2nd). [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Beijing (4th), Paris (5th) and London (6th) followed Seoul in the overall ranking. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Seoul ranked first in the adoption and use category, which assesses the infrastructure, institutions and skilled personnel needed to use AI. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The index assessed 57 cities in 36 countries across three areas: investment, innovation and adoption and use. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- According to the Seoul city government, the Observer classed Seoul with Paris and Abu Dhabi as leading examples of government-led AI cities. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Newsis reported that Tokyo ranked third and Singapore fifth in the adoption and use category. [ 1 ]
- Mayor Oh Se-hoon said the city would strengthen talent development and business support and widen young people's chances to use AI. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Seoul placed third overall and first in AI adoption and use in the Observer's 2026 AI City Index, as announced by the Seoul city government on 22 October. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- San Francisco and New York ranked above Seoul overall, with Beijing, Paris and London behind it. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The index covered 57 cities in 36 countries. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- What the Observer itself wrote about Seoul. The documents relay the Observer's assessment through the Seoul city government and do not quote the Observer's own text.
- How the index was built, including the number of indicators and the role of Tortoise Media. Only Newsis gives these details (50 indicators, built on Tortoise Media's experience with its Global AI Index).
- Whether the planned youth AI support will be funded. Newsis reports the city is seeking to include it in next year's main budget, and Mayor Oh said it was not covered in this year's supplementary budget.