Naver AI
Naver AI, or as per the official name – HyperCLOVA X – is an artificial intelligence project that was announced in May 2021, and launched later the same year.
It is an AI exclusive to the Naver platform, which was created to compete with the rising popularity of ChatGPT. During the peak of ChatGPT usage, Naver lost a portion of its market share in South Korea. While Naver went from 61% to 58% (a 3% decrease), Google saw a growth of 5% – from 28% in 2022 to 33% at the beginning of 2025.
Read more about the search engine market in South Korea in 2025.
Goals of creating HyperClova
Besides establishing a presence in the AI market, HyperClova was also created to enhance the South Korean experience, as ChatGPT is infamous for its English- Korean translation skills, which are on par with Google Translate according to the benchmark.
HyperClova is the backbone of Naver AI. HyperClova specializes in the Korean language and culture, though it is not limited to just Korean – results indicate that it is the best AI in 2025 for all east-asian languages – Chinese and Japanese, with exceptional results in Vietnamese, Tagalog, Hindi, and the Singaporean dialect (Hokkien) as well. The AI software indicates an 80% satisfactory rate from its users in the territory of Seoul, South Korea.
HyperClova X was revealed on August 24, 2023. This is an updated model of HyperClova that understands the South Korean culture on a more societal level, making it an invaluable asset. For instance, it can differentiate between the 4 most popular (out of 7) levels of Korean speech depending on the context:
- Formal and polite – 하십시오체 (Hasipsio-che)
- Formal and impolite — 해요체 (Haeyo-che)
- Informal and polite – 해체 (Hae-che)
- Informal and impolite – 반말 / 하대 (Banmal / Hadae)
In addition, the updated model can recognize any images taken in South Korea and provide the user with an in depth description.
Naver Cue – image guide
Naver Cue is the most revolutionary tool from the HyperClova X family. Naver Cue is an AI search tool that will provide concise information for any queries generated by the user. The official website illustrates the limitless possibilities – from cafe suggestions to showcases of specific images and even route recommendations.
The prompt “Find a restaurant with a terrace in Bundang that’s good for brunch” highlights how Naver Cue is able to summarize specific information and provide the user with answers that fit the description.
On the 5th of March 2025, Google announced a project called “AI mode”. It is an AI search tool that will work similarly to Naver Cue, which, as of March 2025, is currently unavailable for the average user – one must sign up on a waiting list. However, we at InterAd already have access to it.
This is how the interface of Naver looks now that Naver Cue is integrated. Nothing else has changed except the addition to the Naver Cue section on the right next to the search bar.
Once you click on it, you are redirected to a separate section with a completely different interface, which is the biggest difference from Google, as the Google exclusive AI search tool – AI Mode – is integrated as an addition tab alongside the “all, images, video…” dividers.
This is how the interface looks:
On the right, we are able to view our search history. The widgets displayed in the center are simply there to showcase what Naver Cue can do. If we click on one of the prompts, we simply receive an answer as if we have asked it. Since this is an early version of Naver Cue, there is a limit of up to 15 prompts per day. Due to the fact that NaverClova X is at the core of all Naver AI products, Naver Cue is able to answer questions in the aforementioned languages.
This is how a response from Naver Cue looks like:
We received a big chunk of cleaned and visualized data in the form of bullet points in less than 15 seconds.
The future of AI – breakthrough in AI Speech Modeling: Naver & Seoul National University Collaboration
NeurIPS 2024 Recognizes Naver & SNU’s AI Speech Model
Naver and Seoul National University (SNU) researchers have collaborated on a groundbreaking AI speech model, a development recognized in 2024 by NeurIPS, one of the most prestigious machine learning conferences.
Unified Spoken Dialog Model (USDM) – A Game Changer
Their research, titled “Paralinguistic Integration in Conversational Large Language Models”, introduces a new framework for speech-based AI models. Unlike traditional AI-driven speech recognition, which relies on automatic speech recognition (ASR) or text-to-speech (TTS) conversion, this model directly integrates natural speech patterns and prosody. USDM stands out by generating highly natural conversational responses without the need for intermediate ASR processing, a significant leap toward human-like AI interaction.
Performance Validation – Beating Previous AI Models
The team validated the effectiveness of USDM using the DailyTalk dataset, measuring performance through both automated and human evaluations. The results showed substantial improvements in conversational naturalness compared to previous AI models and traditional ASR-TTS approaches. This suggests that USDM effectively captures cross-modal meaning and mimics real-life conversational flow better than its predecessors.
Open-Source Contribution & Future Implications
Naver and SNU have announced plans to release the model’s code and checkpoints to the public, allowing researchers worldwide to further develop and refine AI speech models. Naver has also hinted at integrating this model into its AI ecosystem, potentially enhancing HyperCLOVA X even further.
AI for consumers
Clova for writing
Clova for writing, also commonly referred to as a “smart editor”, is a tool that has changed the blogging scene forever on the Naver Blog platform. The integration of AI allows users to summarize information as well as to create a whole text from a simple prompt.
In addition, by providing the AI with context, Cova can analyze the patterns and determine the tone of speech alongside the most commonly used phrases. This makes the text more authentic to the author.
This is of great importance considering that the Naver Blog algorithm revolves around keywords – if one is a good writer who is able to analyse the trending words well, the blog could go trending from just one post. The AI is able to analyze the algorithm as it writes the text. There are some limitations, however, the learning curve has been completely altered after its addition.
Naver Plus app
The Naver Plus app launched on the 12th of March, 2025. This is the newest case of HyperClova X integration. According to the CEO of Naver, Choi Soo-yeon:
“AI applied to commerce will understand users’ hidden search intentions and contexts, discovering and recommending desired products and benefits ahead of time”.
This one-of-a-kind application is designed to personalize your shopping experience. Unlike standard algorithms that track what others with similar purchase patterns buy, this app analyzes your own data and usage patterns to tailor recommendations specifically for you.
To generate buzz around the app, Naver launched a campaign whose winner was to receive 1,000,000 KRW in shopping points on the day of the launch.
AI for Businesses
Clova for Ad
Clova for Ad follows a similar concept to the chatbots that can be seen on almost all websites nowadays.
In fact, even the URL of the page begins with “brandchat”. This function mostly helps big brands that offer products rather than services, as one of the main features of this form of advertisement is the ability to compare several products at once. In Nike’s example, the user is able to compare several forms of Nike running shoes to find the best one for their fit. Moreover, the user can give a description of their lifestyle to find a Nike shoe that will fit them best. This function is a great option for companies as it retains the customer to them. If we are to ask a regular AI to recommend us shoes based on a description of our lifestyle, we will receive non-Nike options.
Clova Studio
Clova Studio is an exclusive service only offered to the South Korean, Japanese, Singaporean, German, and US regions. Clova Studio is a cloud storage that has AI integrated into it. There are exactly 100 different types of services available for a company to choose from that range from security to different AI features.
Conclusion
After reading this article, you have now familiarized yourselves with the world of Naver AI. The world of search engines in South Korea is rapidly evolving, and only one thing is certain – AI is its future.
