Naver to Invest 1 Trillion Won in Content Ecosystem Over 5 Years... Fostering Creators to Boost AI Briefing Usage (Comprehensive)

3,000 "Naver Mates" Every Month
Kwanghyun Kim, CDO: "Offline Data Is Needed"

Naver will invest 1 trillion won over the next five years to foster a content ecosystem as part of its efforts to strengthen its artificial intelligence (AI) competitiveness. Just as Google expanded its content ecosystem through YouTube, Naver plans to launch 3,000 "Naver Mates" each month starting next month, significantly boosting the adoption of its AI Briefing service.

On May 28, at The Plaza Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, NAVER held a media roundtable under the theme "Data and Content Strategies in the AI Era," announcing its plans to enhance AI competitiveness by building an independent content ecosystem. The event was attended by Kwanghyun Kim, Chief Data and Content Officer (CDO), Ilgu Lee, Head of Content Services, and Sangbeom Kim, Head of Search Platform.

CDO Kwanghyun Kim stated, "The focus of AI platform competition is shifting from model performance to data quality and service competitiveness," adding, "We will expand our non-technological initiatives aimed at discovering quality content and creators in the AI era, investing 1 trillion won over the next five years."

Kwanghyun Kim, CDO: "We Will Dive More Boldly Into AI Competition"

Kim continued, "As CDO, I will ensure that we build a strong foundation of high-quality data for agent-based execution through the creator ecosystem and external partnerships, connect this with AI to deliver a differentiated user experience, and compete more aggressively. Naver's unique content ecosystem, built over the past 25 years, is our most powerful asset and cannot be replaced by anything else."

On this day, Naver announced the launch of a new fellowship program, "Naver Mate," to expand the content ecosystem together with user-generated content (UGC) creators. Initially, about 3,000 outstanding creators, selected for their expertise and diversity across all UGC services, will be made public each month based on the number of citations in AI Briefing.

Kwanghyun Kim, Chief Data and Content Officer (CDO) of Naver, presenting at the 'Media Roundtable' held on the 28th.

The profiles and content of "Naver Mate" creators will feature an official emblem, providing an environment where their content can be more easily discovered across various Naver services, including integrated search and AI Briefing. Activity funds totaling 20 billion won will be distributed, with individual grants ranging from 300,000 won to 10 million won, depending on the number of AI Briefing citations. Naver Mate will launch in June for creators on blogs, cafés, Knowledge iN, and Premium Content, with plans to expand to clip creators in the second half of the year. Naver will operate the program in beta until the end of this year and will gradually enhance it by reflecting AI Tab answer citations, as well as expanding the range of eligible participants and support scale.

Ilgu Lee, Head of Content Services, said, "Even in the AI era, UGC containing creators' 'real experiences' and 'insights' is a core asset that enhances AI's diversity and expertise. Through the Naver Mate program, we are embarking on a journey to explore important UGC directions together with creators and will focus on service initiatives that build broad consensus among users around 'good creators and content' to vitalize the content ecosystem." According to Naver, UGC accounts for up to 70% of AI Briefing search results.

Naver also disclosed its technological direction and key assets aimed at realizing an integrated AI agent that links various services beyond AI search and leads to action. Sangbeom Kim, Head of Search Platform, cited a product-native large language model (LLM) optimized for service scenarios, 10 billion data points and API tools, and harness engineering for stable service operation as core assets. He said, "The experience of building and operating a search ecosystem with our own technology is a unique advantage for Naver. The next-generation HyperCLOVA X model will also be applied soon."

Naver is further upgrading its AI search lineup. The AI Briefing service, launched in March, has 30 million monthly users, and the AI Tab, which was launched in beta in April, surpassed 3 million cumulative users within a month. Naver plans to release a new version of Smart Lens at the end of June. This service will allow users to quickly find information and take action by capturing images with their camera, creating synergy with AI Briefing and AI Tab.

Sangbeom Kim added, "From June, when AI Tab officially launches, all Naver users will be able to leverage conversational search on both mobile and PC. Based on the assets that best understand the daily lives and context of Korean users, we will develop agentic AI services that connect seamlessly to actual execution."

Naver: "Offline Data Is Needed in Addition to Online Data"

Meanwhile, regarding reports that Naver is considering acquiring a stake in Woowa Brothers, the operator of the food delivery app Baemin, Kim CDO responded to a question about future plans by saying, "There will be additional opportunities to discuss the investment matter in the future."

Kim further explained, "The direction of our AI strategy is not for users to start an action and end with a search, but to complete everything they want within the agent. For purchases, deliveries, and so on to be completed within the agent, we need not only online data but also offline data." He emphasized, "Naver must secure both online and offline data to fully realize the agent we envision. If we do acquire a stake in Baemin, please understand it as a move in that direction." Naver is reportedly reviewing the acquisition of a stake in Baemin because combining it with existing services such as Naver Shopping, Plus Membership, and Naver Pay, as well as securing a logistics network, could generate significant synergy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.