The score gap between artificial intelligence (AI) models is no longer large. In the end, differences in AI model performance come from data. Naver will invest 1 trillion won in the content ecosystem over five years. We plan to run the Mate program starting in June to support creators based on the number of citations in services such as AI Briefing, which summarizes various documents to provide key information, and the Conversational AI search service AI Tab.
Kim Kwang-hyun, Naver's CDO (chief data and content officer), said this at a press briefing on the theme of Naver's data and content strategy in the AI era, held on the 28th at The Plaza Hotel in Jung District, Seoul, saying the center of AI platform competition is shifting from model performance to data quality and service competitiveness.
Naver Mate is a program for UGC (user-generated content) creators. Naver will announce 3,000 outstanding creators each month based on the number of AI Briefing citations. To encourage the production of quality content, Naver will provide grants according to the number of AI Briefing citations. Creators selected for Mate receive a basic activity stipend of 300,000 won per month. In addition, 100 creators in total—10 creators in each of 10 categories with the most citations—receive 3 million won per month, and 10 creators in total—one creator in each of 10 categories with the most citations—receive 10 million won per month. During the beta operation period from June to Dec., the stipend is expected to be paid in cash. Naver plans to spend a total of 20 billion won per year on stipends.
The company plans to display an official emblem on Mate creators' profiles and content to provide an environment where creator content can be discovered more easily across Naver's various services, including integrated search and AI Briefing. Naver Mate will start with creators on Blog, Cafe, Knowledge iN, and Premium Content, and will expand to Clip creators in the second half. Naver plans to advance the program in stages, including reflecting AI Tab answer citations and expanding eligible participants and the scale of support.
Kim, the CDO, said, As CDO, I will properly accumulate high-quality data that forms the foundation of executable agents through the creator ecosystem and external partnerships, connect it with AI to provide a differentiated user experience, and jump into the competition more boldly, and added, In the AI-native era, where we must create gaps not only in technology but also in data and service experience, Naver's unique content ecosystem, built over more than 25 years, is Naver's most powerful asset that cannot be traded for anything else. Lee Il-gu, Naver content service head, also said, Even in the AI era, UGC that contains creators' actual experiences and insights is a core asset that adds diversity and expertise to AI, and added, To vitalize the content ecosystem, we will focus on efforts to build consensus among all users around good creators and content.
Naver on the day unveiled a vision to aim for implementing an AI integrated agent that goes beyond AI search to link a variety of services and naturally lead to execution.
Kim Sang-beom, Naver search platform head, cited a product-native LLM (large language model) optimized for service scenarios, a vast dataset totaling 10 billion records and API (application programming interface) tools, and harness engineering for stable service operations as core assets, emphasizing that the experience of building and operating the search ecosystem with in-house technology is Naver's distinctive strength. He added that the next-generation HyperCLOVA X model will soon be applied.
Naver is also strengthening its AI search lineup. AI Briefing, launched in Mar. 2025, has 30 million monthly users. AI Tab, which entered beta in Apr., surpassed 3 million cumulative users. Naver plans to launch Smart Lens, a new version of its AI-based image search service, at the end of June. It is a service that lets users quickly check information with a camera and connect through to execution, and the company expected it to generate strong synergy with AI Briefing and AI Tab.
Kim Sang-beom, the head, said, Starting in June, when AI Tab is officially released, all Naver users will be able to use conversational search on mobile and PC, and added, Based on Naver's asset that best understands the daily life and context of Korean users, we will create agentic AI services that connect through to actual execution.