Webtoon is adding AI localization tools to its comics platform | The VergeSkip to main contentThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.The VergeThe Verge logo.TechReviewsScienceEntertainmentAIPolicyHamburger Navigation ButtonThe homepageThe VergeThe Verge logo.Hamburger Navigation ButtonNavigation DrawerThe VergeThe Verge logo.Login / Sign UpcloseCloseSearchTechExpandAmazonAppleFacebookGoogleMicrosoftSamsungBusinessSee all techReviewsExpandSmart Home ReviewsPhone ReviewsTablet ReviewsHeadphone ReviewsSee all reviewsScienceExpandSpaceEnergyEnvironmentHealthSee all scienceEntertainmentExpandTV ShowsMoviesAudioSee all entertainmentAIExpandOpenAIAnthropicSee all AIPolicyExpandAntitrustPoliticsLawSecuritySee all policyGadgetsExpandLaptopsPhonesTVsHeadphonesSpeakersWearablesSee all gadgetsVerge ShoppingExpandBuying GuidesDealsGift GuidesSee all shoppingGamingExpandXboxPlayStationNintendoSee all gamingStreamingExpandDisneyHBONetflixYouTubeCreatorsSee all streamingTransportationExpandElectric CarsAutonomous CarsRide-sharingScootersSee all transportationFeaturesVerge VideoExpandTikTokYouTubeInstagramPodcastsExpandDecoderThe VergecastVersion HistoryNewslettersArchivesStoreVerge Product UpdatesSubscribeFacebookThreadsInstagramYoutubeRSSThe VergeThe Verge logo.Webtoon is adding AI localization tools to its comics platformComments DrawerCommentsLoading commentsGetting the conversation ready...AICloseAIPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All AIEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsWebtoon is adding AI localization tools to its comics platformThe company also plans to expand its ad revenue monetization program for indie creators.The company also plans to expand its ad revenue monetization program for indie creators.by Charles Pulliam-MooreCloseCharles Pulliam-MooreFilm & TV ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Charles Pulliam-MooreMar 26, 2026, 1:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftImage: WebtoonCharles Pulliam-MooreCloseCharles Pulliam-MoorePosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Charles Pulliam-Moore is a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.Canvas, Webtoon’s platform for user-uploaded comics, is about to get a major overhaul that’s designed to help creators make more money and share their art with a wider audience.Today, Webtoon announced its plans to roll out a number of new features for Canvas that will make it easier for artists to build global followings and gain a deeper understanding of who’s engaging with their work. Soon, manga creators who upload their work to Canvas will be able to use an AI-powered translation tool to localize their scripts into English, Spanish, French, Indonesian, Thai, Traditional Chinese, and German. A beta version of the translation feature — which is optional — will first be made available to English-speaking Canvas users sometime this spring before Webtoon rolls it out to other markets later this summer.Additionally, Webtoon is introducing an updated Canvas dashboard that the company says will provide “improved insights into series performance, deeper analytics to understand readership, and new tools to manage community engagement.” Webtoon also plans to make its ad revenue share program accessible to all creators producing work in any of the languages supported on Canvas.Speaking to The Verge Webtoon president Yongsoo Kim said that all of the big changes coming to Canvas are meant to assist creators “grow their audience, build fandoms, and earn more from their work.” Kim told me that Webtoon’s chief concern is to help its creative overcome some of the challenges they might face with traditional distribution channels. Kim also described Canvas’ new translation functionality as a tool that’s designed to make creators’ lives easier.“For a long time, language barriers and distribution challenges have limited creators’ reach,” Kim said. “With these tools, we want to help creators reach readers around the world while keeping full creative control of their work.”RelatedDisney and Webtoon are launching a new comics platformLost in AI translationAI Wikipedia translations added hallucinated sourcesOn paper, Canvas’ AI tool sounds a lot like the Kindle Translate tool Amazon rolled out last fall. When I asked Kim about how the translation program works, he explained that the tool is built on a combination of Webtoon’s own proprietary language model and “a powerful, external LLM.” Kim said that the program only processes textual elements of a manga page and no content is stored or used to further train the LLM. And because there’s more to localization than translating text from one language to another, the AI tool also features a glossary section that creators can fill out with information about their series that will help the tool maintain translation consistency and understand narrative context.“The model will have relatively less context for titles that have just started and only have a few episodes published on the platform,” Kim explained. “But once a creator has begun translating their episodes and publishing more, the model will develop more cumulative context about the title and the overall quality of the AI-generated translations will improve.”Given AI models’ tendency to make mistakes, creators might still want to check their translated work for potential errors. But Kim noted that, if creators or readers find errors, they will be able to submit reports to Webtoon’s quality assurance team, which will trigger a human reviewing process. In response to being asked about whether Webtoon had given any thought to the possibility of readers being turned off by the company encouraging its partners to use AI, Kim stressed that the translation tool is completely optional and translated versions of a series will be removed from the platform if a creator opts out.“At Webtoon, we strongly believe that this kind of technology should only be used to help our creators, not replace them,” Kim said. “We are starting with the translation program, but we’re still thinking about what kinds of support based on AI and other technologies will genuinely support our creators’ daily lives.”Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.Charles Pulliam-MooreCloseCharles Pulliam-MooreFilm & TV ReporterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Charles Pulliam-MooreAICloseAIPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All AIComicsCloseComicsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All ComicsEntertainmentCloseEntertainmentPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All EntertainmentNewsCloseNewsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All NewsMost PopularMost PopularThe United States router ban, explainedSeiko resurrected a 44-year-old digital watch NASA astronauts wore to spaceIntel and LG Display may have beaten Apple and Qualcomm with the best laptop battery life everThe best deals we’ve found from Amazon’s Big Spring Sale (so far)Nintendo is going to charge less for digital Switch 2 gamesThe Verge DailyA free daily digest of the news that matters most.Email (required)Sign UpBy submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice. 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Webtoon is implementing a significant expansion of its digital comic platform, Canvas, with the integration of AI-powered localization tools, spearheaded by company president Yongsoo Kim. This initiative aims to bolster creator revenue and broaden the reach of user-uploaded comics. A core component of this strategy involves the deployment of an AI translation tool, initially available in beta to English-speaking Canvas users this spring before a wider rollout across multiple languages including Spanish, French, Indonesian, Thai, Traditional Chinese, and German by the summer. The translation function, developed through a combination of Webtoon’s proprietary language model and a powerful external Large Language Model (LLM), intends to streamline the process of adapting manga scripts for international audiences. Crucially, Webtoon emphasizes that the AI processing solely analyzes textual elements and data isn’t used to train the LLM. To ensure accuracy and contextual understanding, a glossary feature will be integrated, allowing creators to define narrative elements and maintain consistency in translations. Addressing potential concerns, Kim asserted that the tool’s use is optional, and translated series will be removed only if the creator opts out, reflecting Webtoon’s commitment to creator autonomy.

Beyond the translation tool, Webtoon is introducing an updated Canvas dashboard designed to provide creators with deeper insights into series performance, readership analytics, and community engagement management tools. Furthermore, the company is expanding its ad revenue monetization program to encompass all creators producing content in supported languages. This moves away from solely focusing on the initial rollout to the manga creators and introduces a more inclusive model. The system’s development reflects Webtoon’s broader strategy to alleviate the challenges traditionally faced by creators within the expansive and often fragmented digital distribution environment. Kim highlighted that Webtoon’s primary goal is to empower creators to grow their audiences, establish devoted fandoms, and maximize earnings, effectively acting as a bridge between creators and their global readership.

The AI localization approach mirrors Amazon’s Kindle Translate tool, leveraging an external LLM for text processing. Webtoon’s approach incorporates a verification process where creators and readers can report translation inaccuracies, triggering human review by a quality assurance team. This layered approach intends to mitigate the potential for errors inherent in AI-driven translation. While AI models’ propensity for inaccuracies necessitates careful oversight, the creation of a cumulative context model within the AI intends to increase the quality of translated content. Webtoon’s strategy acknowledges and addresses the concerns of a possible negative reception from creators if widespread AI usage is perceived as detrimental to creative control. The company's policy prioritizes creator agency, solidifying that the tool serves as a supportive mechanism rather than a replacement for human creativity. Moving forward, Webtoon has expressed intent to investigate further AI-based support tools potentially tailored to creators’ daily workflows.