The Upsetting Reasons Why This AI VTuber Was Banned From Twitch
There are rules every Twitch streamer has to follow, and one AI Vtuber met the ban hammer after breaking one of the rules involving hate speech. AI Twitch streamer, Neuro-sama, is both hilarious and terrifying to watch. It streams games like "Minecraft" while chatting with viewers, which is sometimes hilarious and sometimes nonsensical.
Neuro-sama is one of the first AI Twitch streamers to gain popularity. It's not a Vtuber, which is controlled by a person behind the scenes. Neuro-sama is actually a program that's piloted by what it learns on the internet. However, because the internet is what it is, Neuro-sama said something that Twitch classified as hate speech and was banned as a result.
According to Neuro-sama's creator, Vedal, Neuro-sama was banned for two weeks, which gives Vedal time to work on improving Neuro-sama (via Twitter user @OOCNeurosama). Vedal didn't specify what Neuro-sama said that resulted in the ban, but an incident last month led to the AI denying that the Holocaust happened, as shown in a clip from @A_Guster_Buster. Many fans believed this is what caused the ban, which isn't the first time a streaming account has been banned because of anti-Semitic comments – Hasan was banned late last year while streaming an interview with Kanye West that included hate speech from West. However, there might be another reason that Neuro-sama has been sidelined.
4chan could be behind it
In reaction to the news that Neuro-sama was banned, many pointed their fingers at 4chan. According to some, the Holocaust comment was started because of 4chan. Others thought that Twitch was afraid of an AI making content that's almost too good compared to actual people. After all, who knows what kind of streaming service could come out in the future if AI attracts a profitable audience? One joke from @7eroVirus said, "Twitch stopped the AI takeover."
Some fans are hopeful that Vedal will use this time to not only improve Neuro-sama's programming but also its model. Others want her unbanned immediately, and some posted memes about a Twitch HQ takeover to "free" Neuro-sama.
Twitter user @TheRedHellion explained that AI recognizes patterns and repeats them, which is how Neuro-sama came to the conclusion that the Holocaust was fabricated. One person even commented that Vedal worked on censoring certain things after the incident and that Neuro-sama was "clean" afterward, calling out Twitch for banning it. Others were upset with Twitch out for the lengthy ban compared to other incidents that were purposeful and suggestive in nature.