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Research Report Finds Naver Webtoon's AI Recommendation System Boosts Diversity (Updated)
posted on by Wonhee Cho
Korea University's Business School announced on December 10 that Naver WEBTOON's AI-powered recommendation system, AI Curator, has proven effective in reducing the dominance of popular titles while increasing exposure for lesser-known works.
The report "Enhancing Diversity with AI Curator Recommendations" highlights the system's success in broadening content consumption and providing fairer opportunities for creators. However, it is unclear who commissioned the research, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest. ANN has reached out to Naver WEBTOON and Korea University about this matter and will update this article once we receive a response.
Naver WEBTOON switched its default content sorting from "Popularity" to "AI Curator" in June 2023. This personalized system uses deep learning to recommend webtoons based on individual preferences, leading to more balanced consumption.
Key metrics showed significant decreases in market concentration:
- Click concentration dropped by 21.9%
- Views concentration decreased by 12.2%
- Payment concentration fell by 23.4%
The AI recommendations increased engagement with existing titles and helped newer works gain traction. Newly launched webtoons saw 4.5 times more clicks, 3.7 times more views, and 3.4 times more purchases than older titles.
Average engagement rates were also significantly higher under the AI system:
- Click-through rates increased by 59.5%
- Views rose by 67.5%
- Payments increased by 62.7%
While these findings suggest a positive impact, it is worth noting that ANN has not reviewed the original research report.
Naver WEBTOON stated that the findings underscore the growing role of AI in creating a fairer and more diverse digital content landscape.
Update: Reworked article to note that it is currently unclear who commissioned the research, and that ANN has reached out to Korea University and Naver WEBTOON about the matter.
Sources: Naver Webtoon Newsroom
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history