Naver Webtoon's AI recommendation system promotes diversity.

On December 10th, Korea University's Business School announced that Naver WEBTOON's AI-powered recommendation system, AI Curator, has proven effective in reducing the dominance of popular titles while boosting exposure for lesser-known works.

The report, "Enhancing Diversity with AI Curator Recommendations," highlights the system's success in broadening content consumption and creating fairer opportunities for creators.

Naver WEBTOON switched its default content sorting from "Popularity" to "AI Curator" in June 2023. This personalized system utilizes deep learning to recommend webtoons based on individual preferences, leading to more balanced consumption patterns.

Key metrics showed a significant decrease in market concentration:

Click concentration decreased by 21.9%.

View concentration decreased by 12.2%.

Payment concentration decreased by 23.4%.

The AI recommendations boosted engagement for existing titles and helped newer works gain traction. Newly launched webtoons experienced a 4.5 times higher click-through rate, were viewed 3.7 times more often, and were purchased 3.4 times more often compared to older titles.

Average engagement rates were also significantly higher with the AI system:

Click-through rates increased by 59.5%.

Views increased by 67.5%.

Payments increased by 62.7%.

Naver WEBTOON stated that the results underscore the growing role of AI in creating a fairer and more diverse digital content landscape.

Source: Naver Webtoon Newsroom