SEOUL — Naver’s creator support program, "Naver Mate," has emerged as a key driver boosting the creative motivation of content producers, according to a recent field experience shared by a prominent creator. Beyond financial backing, the process of having one’s personal experience and expertise recognized served as a powerful impetus for producing new content.

On the morning of the 13th, during a special seminar hosted by the Korea Association of Media and Information Studies at the HJ Business Center Gwanghwamun branch titled "AI Platforms and a Sustainable Content Ecosystem," the creator behind "MJ’s Quick Recipes" shared her experience of being selected as the top creator for five consecutive months. Naver Mate is a program that selects approximately 3,000 creators every month across 25 different categories, taking into account AI briefing citations and other engagement metrics.

"Naver Mate provided motivation to deeply consider my writing direction and content quality," she said. "Feeling that my experience and value were recognized truly became the driving force behind my continuous creative journey."

Before this positive turning point, however, MJ’s Quick Recipes revealed that she had struggled with a sudden drop in search exposure. "Before being selected for Naver Mate, changes in Naver’s algorithm caused my blog posts—which usually drew around 100,000 daily visitors—to disappear from search results for several days," she explained. "After that, I changed how I structured my writing to make it easier for AI to comprehend, which I believe paved the way for my selection as a Naver Mate."

At the same time, MJ raised concerns that AI search might fail to fully convey a creator's originality. Citing an instance where her self-developed "apple ginger syrup" recipe was briefly summarized into a single line in search results and then vanished, she pointed out the risk that differentiated content might not receive proper evaluation.

"If only basic, fail-safe content continues to be cited, it will become difficult for creators attempting new challenges to grow," MJ emphasized. "We need a structure that encourages users to visit the original source, fully explore the creator's experiences, and build trust." She also suggested introducing an AI assistant feature to help users easily find past recipes on blogs.

During the subsequent panel discussion, experts emphasized the need to adequately compensate creators who produce differentiated content. Professor Kyung-wai Kim of Yonsei University evaluated, "In an environment where anyone can easily produce similar content using AI, the distinctiveness created by an individual's unique experiences and efforts is crucial. Rewarding creators who produce reliable content will help the growth of the ecosystem."

The fairness of compensation criteria also emerged as a major issue. Professor Min-sung Kim of Korea National Open University pointed out, "If the platform decides which content to cite and those citation records become the basis for compensation, the platform's choices could double as both value evaluation and distribution." He also raised the need to separate compensation for utilizing existing content from support aimed at encouraging future creation.

In this regard, Professor Jong-hwa Park of Kyungpook National University noted, "It is necessary to disclose not only how much is paid but also the criteria used to select content," proposing methods to evaluate the inherent contribution of the content beyond mere citation counts.

The necessity of cooperation between platforms and creators was also highlighted. Professor Jeong-hwan Kim of Korea University, who moderated the discussion, pointed out that creators in the AI era must consider not only human users but AI as well, stressing that the value of original and challenging content must be reflected in compensation systems.

Meanwhile, the seminar held at the HJ Business Center Gwanghwamun branch featured presentations by Professor Han-byul Choi of Dong-A University on "AI Platforms and the Reorganization of Content Value" and Professor Yun-hyuk Jung of Korea University on "Compensation Policies for Content Providers by AI Companies: Comparing Creator and User Preferences."

The panel discussion was moderated by Professor Jeong-hwan Kim of Korea University, with participation from Professor Kyung-wai Kim of Yonsei University, Professor Min-sung Kim of Korea National Open University, Professor Jong-hwa Park of Kyungpook National University, and the creator "MJ’s Quick Recipes."

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