Naver Webtoon has added byUs, an AI story chat service under the "More" menu of its app. Readers talk with characters from webtoons whose authors have signed off and build a story with themselves as the lead. Only author-approved IP is used, so each work's world and cast stay as written.
There are two modes: original stories that start from an intro set in a webtoon's world, and fan stories where users invent new situations and relationships for its characters. Suggested replies and autoplay keep chats moving, scene images appear as the story goes, and reward images unlock as affinity grows. "Job Change Log" comes first, with more fan favourites to follow.
Kim Shin-hyung, Naver Webtoon's head of IP business, said webtoons are moving from something people watch to something they join in. He expects byUs to send readers back to the originals and make fans more attached to the series, so they last longer. Seoul Economic Daily reported that the company's earlier Character Chat, running since 2024, lifted reading of source webtoons.
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