×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

News
Research Report Finds Naver Webtoon's AI Recommendation System Boosts Diversity (Updated)

posted on by Wonhee Cho
Korea University conducted research for report that released on December 10

webtoon_aicuration.png
Image via Naver Webtoon's website

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


discuss this in the forum (3 posts) |
bookmark/share with: short url

this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history

News homepage / archives