Naver is accelerating its efforts to enhance its artificial intelligence (AI) search competitiveness by expanding its content and creator ecosystem. The company believes that the strength of its AI platform lies in content based on service experience. Naver plans to invest 1 trillion won over the next five years to secure quality content and strengthen its creator compensation system.
Having grown as a search portal in the 2000s while creating a creator ecosystem, Naver sees this ecosystem as a crucial factor for continued growth in the AI era.
On May 28, Naver held a media roundtable at The Plaza Hotel in central Seoul, focusing on its data and content strategy for the AI era.
The event featured Chief Data and Content Officer (CDO) Kim Kwang-hyun, Content Service Division Head Lee Il-koo, and Search Platform Division Head Kim Sang-beom, who discussed strategies for revitalizing the content and creator ecosystem and enhancing the competitiveness of AI search services.
Kim emphasized that the focus of AI platform competition is shifting from model performance to data quality and service competitiveness.
“As CDO, I will work to build high-quality data that serves as the foundation for executable agents through partnerships with creators and external partners, connecting this data with AI to provide differentiated user experiences and compete more boldly,” Kim said.
He also highlighted plans to expand non-technical efforts to find quality content and creators over the next five years with the same 1 trillion won investment.
“In the AI era, where we need to create gaps in data and service experience in addition to technology, Naver's unique content ecosystem, built over 25 years, is our strongest asset,” Kim added.
Naver aims to strengthen its competitiveness by partnering with creators as core partners and expanding the AI ecosystem together.
As part of its strategy to explore content and creators, Naver is launching a new fellowship program called 'Naver Mate.' This program will spotlight around 3,000 outstanding creators who enrich the content ecosystem with expertise and diversity, based on AI briefing citation counts, each month.
Creators in the Naver Mate program will have their profiles and content marked with an official emblem, making their work more visible across various Naver services, including integrated search and AI briefings. To encourage the production of quality content, Naver will provide activity funds ranging from 300,000 to 10 million won, totaling 20 billion won, based on citation counts.
The Naver Mate program will begin next month, targeting creators of blogs, cafes, Knowledge iN, and premium content, with plans to expand to clip creators in the second half of the year.
Naver plans to operate the program in beta until the end of this year, gradually enhancing it by incorporating AI tab response citations and expanding the support targets and scale.
Lee Il-koo stated, “Even in the AI era, user-generated content (UGC) that reflects creators' real experiences and insights is a key asset that adds diversity and expertise to AI. We will focus on creating a consensus among all users about good creators and content to revitalize the content ecosystem.”
Naver aims to implement an integrated AI agent that seamlessly connects various services beyond AI search. The company revealed its technological direction and core assets.
Kim Sang-beom highlighted the importance of a product-native large language model (LLM) optimized for service scenarios, a vast dataset of 10 billion records, and harness engineering for stable service operation as key assets.
He explained that Naver's experience in building and operating its search ecosystem with proprietary technology is a unique strength. The next-generation Hyperclova X model will also be applied soon.
Naver is enhancing its AI search lineup. According to the company, the AI briefing launched in March last year has been used by 30 million people monthly, providing quick and accurate answers. The AI tab, which entered closed beta in April, has surpassed 3 million users.
Additionally, Naver plans to introduce a new version of Smart Lens by the end of next month, a service that allows users to quickly capture information through their camera and connect to actions. This is expected to create strong synergy with the AI briefing and AI tab.
Kim Sang-beom noted, “Starting next month, when the AI tab is officially launched, all Naver users will be able to utilize conversational search on both mobile and PC. We will implement an agentic AI service that connects search to actual execution based on Naver's unique assets that best understand the daily lives and contexts of Korean users.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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