Naver has expanded its AI agent strategy to its Whale web browser, adding an “AI Chat” feature that lets users interact with the company's AI directly from the sidebar.
The update, released on Sept. 17, allows users to ask Whale AI to summarize or translate the webpage they are currently viewing without leaving the page. The feature is part of Naver's broader AgentN strategy, which is bringing AI agents to its major services, including search, shopping and Naver Place.
Whale is expected to become a key interface for connecting users to Naver's growing range of AI agent services.
The browser's sidebar functions as a panel alongside the main browser window, allowing users to access tools or websites without closing the page they are viewing. With the new update, AI Chat can suggest relevant actions based on the content currently on screen, such as summarizing an article, translating text or finding related information.
The feature also connects with other Naver services. Users can link Naver Calendar and Scrapbook to AI Chat, allowing them to check scheduled events or retrieve content they previously saved. Helpful AI responses can also be saved directly to Scrapbook for later use.
Whale AI can also search a user's browsing history for information they may have seen before. For example, a user could ask, “Find the camping gear review I looked at last week,” and the AI can locate the relevant page.
Whale ranks fifth in South Korea's browser market, behind Chrome, Safari, Samsung Internet and Edge. According to StatCounter, Whale held an 8.69% share of the domestic browser market last month, well behind Chrome's 56.93% share.
Naver has nevertheless continued adding AI features to Whale. In June, the company updated the browser so users could access an AI tab directly from the address bar on the Whale home screen. With AI Chat now integrated into the sidebar, Naver is strengthening connections across its AI services.
The company ultimately sees Whale as a user interface for its broader AI agent ecosystem. Naver is already applying AI agent capabilities to services such as Search, Shopping and Place, and plans to expand them to other core services, including health. Its longer-term goal is to connect these service-specific agents into an integrated AI agent.
“This update adds AI capabilities that allow users to ask questions or request translations while viewing a webpage,” a Naver representative said. “Whale will continue to evolve based on users' needs and how they use the service.”
