Overview
- Naver announced on Thursday that it will invest 1 trillion won over five years to improve the quality of user-generated content used across its AI services.
- The company will launch a creator program called Naver Mate next month that will name about 3,000 creators each month and give selected users an emblem and cash awards.
- Under Naver Mate payouts will range from 300,000 won to 10 million won per creator, the scheme is backed by about 20 billion won a year, and the program will expand to short-video creators on Clip in the second half of the year.
- Naver is timing the incentives with product rollouts — AI Tab is set for full rollout in June after a beta that reached 3 million cumulative users, Smart Lens will arrive in June, and AI Briefing reports roughly 30 million monthly users.
- Naver says the effort will be powered by its HyperClova X models, tailored large language models, roughly 10 billion pieces of platform data, platform APIs and technical safeguards, and the program could shift how creators are paid and what content is produced for AI use.