New 'AI Tab' to Be Added Below Search Bar Next Year
Enhanced Understanding of User Questions and Context in Search
AI Briefing Exposure Rate Triples Since Launch...
To Reach 20% by Year-End
Will Also Expand to Various Types Including Finance and Healthcare
Naver is set to introduce a new menu called the 'AI Tab' (tentative name), a search feature utilizing generative artificial intelligence (AI), next year. Currently, when users perform a search, various tabs such as 'Blog', 'Cafe', 'News', 'Image', 'Shopping', and 'Video' are displayed to categorize the results. The new 'AI Tab' will be added to this list of options.
The AI Tab leverages generative AI to engage in conversations with users and understand context. It also supports actions such as making reservations, purchases, and payments through inference processes.
Sangbeom Kim, leader of Naver Search Platform, is giving a presentation at a study event held on the morning of the 12th at D2SF Gangnam in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Naver
Sangbeom Kim, leader of Naver Search Platform, introduced the direction of AI search at a study event held on the morning of the 12th at D2SF Gangnam in Seocho-gu, Seoul, stating, "Naver's integrated search will become an integrated agent in the future." He explained that Naver plans to provide an 'integrated agent' that offers users a seamless AI search experience by combining specialized AI assistant functions for information, shopping, local services, and finance within AI search.
For example, if a user enters "Recommend places to visit in Jeju Island with a 5-year-old child" in the AI Tab, the system understands the context of the request and suggests Jeju Island attractions suitable for children. If the user selects a recommended location and asks for a travel course, Naver Map will provide the optimal route. If the user later requests modifications to the course, the system remembers that a 5-year-old child is accompanying the user and recommends alternative places based on context, such as whether the locations have high chairs or children's menus. The user can even make a restaurant reservation through the conversation with the AI Tab alone.
The AI Tab can also be used to find daily life information. For instance, if a user searches "Can I receive unemployment benefits while working a part-time job?", the AI Briefing first provides a summarized answer based on documents from authoritative government agencies. If the user then wants to know how much they can receive each month or how to apply, they can switch to the AI Tab and ask follow-up questions in a conversational manner. The AI Tab remembers the user's search history and conversation content to provide answers tailored to the user's situation.
When shopping, the AI Tab offers personalized product recommendations. If a user enters "sunscreen" in the search box, the AI Briefing first finds and displays popular products. If the user wants to find a product that better suits their needs, they can enter the AI Tab and specify conditions such as "Recommend sunscreen for combination skin." The AI Tab analyzes the user's past sunscreen purchases and search history on Naver Shopping to recommend suitable products.
Naver will also strengthen the 'AI Briefing' feature, which uses AI to display search results. AI Briefing, first introduced by Naver in March, is a service that utilizes generative AI and personalized recommendation technology to provide organized and summarized answers at the top of search results. Currently, in its early stages, the service mainly focuses on summarizing search results in a user-friendly manner.
Specifically, Naver will sequentially introduce AI Briefings specialized in various topics such as finance and healthcare, and will increase the types of AI Briefings available. Multilingual and multimedia formats will also be introduced, such as translating and summarizing foreign documents or summarizing key points from long videos.
The exposure rate of search results using AI Briefing will also be expanded to about 20% within this year. Currently, Naver is showing AI Briefing results for some search queries on a trial basis, with AI Briefing applied to about 3% of all search results.
Jaeyup Kim, leader of Naver Search Platform, stated, "We will expand the exposure rate of search results using AI Briefing to about 20% within this year. We will also sequentially introduce AI Briefings specialized in various topics such as finance and healthcare, and increase the types of AI Briefings by translating and summarizing foreign documents or summarizing key points from long videos."
Jaeyup Kim, Naver Search Platform Leader, is giving a presentation at a study event held on the morning of the 12th at D2SF Gangnam, Seocho-gu, Seoul. Photo by Naver
Naver's comprehensive adoption of AI features in its search service appears to be influenced by the rise of AI agents like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Some predict that AI agents may even replace search platforms altogether. In this context, Naver plans to pursue a flexible strategy that improves its search service in response to user demands. Sangbeom Kim commented, "Even as the era of generative AI advances, traditional search will not disappear," but also emphasized, "We will adapt our services in line with the pace of trends."
The AI Tab and AI Briefing will be provided separately from Naver's AI search service 'Cue:'. Launched in 2023, Cue: is a search-specialized AI agent currently available in a limited form to selected users. Sangbeom Kim explained, "AI Briefing and AI Tab will be offered to all users, so the scale of investment will be larger, but we are approaching them separately from Cue:. Ultimately, Cue: will be integrated with the AI Tab."
Meanwhile, Naver is also preparing the 'AI Highlight Project' (tentative name) to ensure that creators' content is more prominently featured in the AI search environment. Content frequently cited in AI Briefing will be marked with an 'AI Pick' badge to encourage greater user engagement.
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