Key takeaways
- In September 2026, Naver introduced a feature in Naver Maps that lets users converse with AI to find places and request an appointment at businesses that use Naver Booking. Hospitals and clinics were not included among the example industries in the announcement.
- In a domestic survey, the most trusted source of health information was the official website of hospitals, government agencies, and public institutions (93.1%). In addition, 48.9% of respondents had consulted generative AI about a health concern.
- ChatGPT’s current advertising policy generally prohibits ads for healthcare services outside the United States. Policies can change, but advertising is not a realistic way for Korean hospitals to enter this space right now.
Study findings - How far has the shift toward finding hospitals through AI gone?
We reviewed domestic surveys, service announcements, and international sources.
- Trust in health information sources (Korea Press Foundation, March 2026, 1,000 people aged 20–60): Official websites of hospitals, government agencies, and public institutions 93.1% · News articles 83.7% · Portal search 61.4% · Video platforms 45.0%
- AI use (same survey): Consulted AI about health 48.9% · Intend to use AI for health information or advice in the future 69.3%
- Naver Place Agent (September 2026): Users can request an appointment through a conversation at businesses using Naver Booking. Responses also show reviews and reasons for recommendations.
- Gemini (August 2026): Users aged 18 and older in the U.S. can connect to Zocdoc to find a clinician and book an appointment.
- ChatGPT advertising policy (September 2026): Healthcare-service ads are generally prohibited outside the U.S., and ads are not shown in conversations about personal health. In the U.S., ads for hospitals may be allowed case by case from approved advertisers.
- Visitors from AI (Semrush, 2025): Based on conversion rate (the share of visitors who complete a goal such as a purchase or signup), visitors from AI were worth 4.4 times as much as visitors from traditional search. The study focused on digital marketing and SEO, not healthcare.
- Search changes (Gartner forecast, Datos): In 2024, Gartner forecast that traditional search volume would decline by 25% by 2026. We found no figure confirming that the decline actually occurred. Datos reported that in Q2 2026, traditional search accounted for 10.52% of U.S. desktop usage, compared with 1.83% for AI tools (mobile excluded).
- Trust and mission:AMA Journal of Ethics (2020) says hospitals should be truthful and transparent about how their mission affects care. A marketing leader at Emory Healthcare in the U.S. views trust as an organization-wide outcome.
The Institute’s interpretation - What should hospitals prepare for GEO?
The domestic survey’s 93.1% figure combines hospitals with government and public institutions; we confirmed it using the survey’s public materials and news coverage. Semrush sells related tools and did not publish the detailed basis for its 4.4-times figure. AI service policies can change, and the connection between a hospital’s philosophy and GEO is the Institute’s perspective.
If AI answers lead to appointments, the hospital information they contain may matter even more. That depends on official information patients can trust.
- 4.4 times is not a suitable target for hospitals. This is not healthcare research, and care decisions differ from purchases. Rather than adopting an overseas figure, hospitals should check their own inquiry and appointment records.
- Decisions may happen before the appointment. Naver’s responses show reviews and recommendation reasons alongside booking availability. We have not confirmed whether this applies to hospitals and clinics, but if the flow expands, information people read before booking may become more important.
- A hospital’s philosophy underpins its information. Advertising visibility can drop when campaigns stop. By contrast, information that aligns a hospital’s principles with its actual care can remain an asset over time. The Institute sees the value of trusted official information as rooted in this consistency.
Is our hospital’s information ready before patients book?
- Are our care philosophy and principles explained on the website?
- Are care information and booking instructions consistent on the website and Naver?
- Does the hospital described in AI answers match the care we actually provide?
We do not yet know how AI booking and advertising will become available to hospitals in Korea. Still, accurate explanations of a hospital’s principles and care give patients a basis for making decisions, whatever path brings them to us.
Sources
Korea Press Foundation <미디어 서베이> 2026 Issue 1: Foundation materials · 기자협회보 · Yonhap News Agency (2026.4.15)
Services and policies: Naver press release · OpenAI advertising policy · TechTarget (Gemini · Zocdoc)
International sources: Semrush · Gartner · Datos · AMA Journal of Ethics · Becker’s