On the 21st, Naver began closed beta testing of an "AI tab" for employees last week, aiming for a second-quarter launch. Because closed beta testing is typically the final internal verification step before release, the industry has raised the possibility of a launch as early as late April or early May. Some functions or even the name could change after feedback is reflected.
Internal reaction has been broadly positive, according to the report. Rather than seeking a sweeping advantage over global AI services for general queries, the approach is seen as focusing on areas where Naver already has strengths. For example, for location- and reservation-based requests such as "Find a restaurant in Pangyo that can take a reservation at 6 p.m.," the system is said to provide more practical answers by linking to existing data. That is attributed to a structure that can quickly reflect reservation and store information accumulated through services such as Naver Place.
The AI tab is expected to appear as a new section alongside existing category tabs such as News, Blogs and Cafes on the search results page. After a user enters a query, the AI would present personalized results reflecting preferences and context, while also enabling follow-up questions through a conversational interface. The focus is to strengthen a "conversational search" experience beyond simple information delivery.
Naver is designing the AI tab not as a single feature but as an umbrella that integrates multiple AI agents. Depending on what is needed during a search, different agents for shopping, maps and reservations would be called. When a user requests a task, a relevant agent could run automatically, or the user could select an agent and direct it to carry out the work.
The first agent to be applied will be a shopping AI agent. The company plans to expand to other areas including finance and Place, and expects that by next year it will complete a structure in which multiple agents are organically linked across Naver services. Over the longer term, the goal is that if a user types something like "I am going on an overseas trip," separate agents would divide and carry out tasks such as booking flights, buying needed items and managing an itinerary.
The shift underscores Naver's move from a search-centered service to an AI agent-based platform. The company has also been streamlining existing features as part of a broader search overhaul. On April 8, it ended its related-search-terms service, and its AI search service Clova X also moved into a wind-down process.
A Naver official said the company is taking a gradual approach, keeping existing usability while expanding AI features. "Because it is a service with a large user base, rather than a full overhaul overnight, we are pursuing a strategy of gradually expanding the AI experience while maintaining existing usability," the official said. "Just as AI Briefing was expanded only up to 20% over a year, the AI tab will also be rolled out step by step."
Globally, the search market is also shifting toward AI. Google has introduced "Gemini in Chrome" in South Korea, integrating its Gemini AI model into the Chrome browser and allowing users to call up AI from a side panel. The move of portal competition toward AI is expected to accelerate both in South Korea and abroad.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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