Abstract

As generative AI is anticipated to bring revolutionary changes to the overall production of webtoons, there is growing interest in so-called ‘generative AI webtoons’ created using this technology. This study aims to explore the preference structure of webtoon users regarding generative AI webtoons through conjoint analysis. Additionally, the study examines the differences in preferences based on webtoon usage frequency and attitudes toward AI. The results indicate that webtoon users consider the degree of AI utilization as the most important attribute among the four. They prefer AI to be used supplementally (less than 30%) in the webtoon production process. In addition, drawing was the most preferred field of AI application. Furthermore, consistent preference patterns were found for the preferred author and the fantasy genre in terms of author and genre attributes, respectively. Differences in preferences for author and genre attributes were found based on webtoon usage frequency, with high-usage groups favoring author-centric consumption and low-usage groups favoring genre-centric consumption. Finally, webtoon users were divided into a positive and negative attitude group according to their attitude toward AI, and the difference between the two groups was confirmed in the degree of AI utilization and the field of AI application. The findings of this study, as an initial research on generative AI webtoons, can serve as foundational data for subsequent research and provide practical implications for the strategic planning of generative AI webtoons.