WEBTOON Announces AI-Powered Story Chat Service byUs
WEBTOON has officially announced byUs, a new service that combines artificial intelligence technology with popular webtoon series. According to the announcement made on July 11, 2026, byUs allows users to create brand new, personal stories by chatting in natural language with characters from a webtoon universe of their choice. The service only uses intellectual properties (IP) approved by the creators, ensuring the rights of the original work owners are protected.
The core concept of byUs is quite simple: users select a webtoon series and then start a conversation with a character from that series. The AI provides responses while staying true to the character's personality, speech style, and story background. Through these dialogues, users can explore alternative scenarios, interact with characters, and save and share the resulting stories. WEBTOON states that this feature is revolutionary, especially for those who love fan fiction and interactive storytelling.
WEBTOON's parent company, Naver Webtoon, has experimented with AI in various ways in the past. In 2023, it tested a tool that allowed users to create visual novels with AI, and in 2025, it expanded its AI-powered translation services. byUs stands out as the platform's most comprehensive AI experience to date. It has not yet been fully disclosed which webtoon series the service will support initially, but it is expected to include both popular titles and works by independent creators.
This move also highlights the growing competition in the AI-based storytelling market. While chatbot platforms like Character.AI have gained significant attention in recent years, WEBTOON's integration of its own rich character pool and existing fan base with AI could start a new trend in the industry. However, some fans are cautious about how AI will affect the originality of creative works. WEBTOON aims to address these concerns through its creator approval mechanism.
It is not yet clear when byUs will be available for general use or whether it will have a subscription model. The company announced that it will share more details in the coming weeks. If this service is successful, it is only a matter of time before other manhwa and manga platforms take similar steps. For webtoon fans, the idea of being able to have a real conversation with their favorite characters has already created great excitement.
