Even More Kawaii than Real-Person-Driven VTubers? Understanding How Viewers Perceive AI-Driven VTubers

2025-09-25

AI Summary

This study investigates audience perceptions of authenticity, affective bonding, and engagement mechanisms toward AI-driven VTubers—exemplified by Neuro-sama—contrasted with human-operated VTubers’ identity ambiguity and trust deficits. Leveraging over 100,000 Reddit and YouTube comments, we integrate natural language processing and qualitative text mining to systematically analyze audience reasoning regarding motivational attribution, persona construction, and community identification. Our work provides the first empirical delineation of the feasibility boundary and acceptance threshold for AI as the “voice actor” (naka-no-hito). We propose a novel governance paradigm for AI virtual streamers that balances operational sustainability with ethical risk mitigation. Results demonstrate that audiences can form deep affective investment and strong communal belonging—even absent an underlying human performer—through interactional consistency and predictable persona enactment, signaling a paradigmatic shift toward recognizing AI as a legitimate agentic entity.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Game Design — Virtual Humans, NPCs and Autonomous Characters
• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Safety, Robustness & Trustworthiness
• Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Affective Computing

Application Category

• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Trust and reliance of crowd workers and data experts on GenAI
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalization
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy

Abstract

VTubers, digital personas represented by animated avatars, have gained massive popularity. Traditionally, VTubers are operated and voiced by human controllers known as Nakanohito. The reliance on Nakanohito, however, poses risks due to potential personal controversies and operational disruptions. The emergence of AI-driven VTubers offers a new model free from these human constraints. While AI-driven VTubers present benefits such as continuous operation and reduced scandal risk, they also raise questions about authenticity and audience engagement. Therefore, to gain deeper insights, we conduct a case study, investigating viewer perceptions of Neuro-sama, the most popular AI-driven VTuber with 845k followers on Twitch and 753k followers on YouTube. We analyze 108k Reddit posts and 136k YouTube comments, aiming to better understand viewer motivations, how AI constructs the virtual persona, and perceptions of the AI as Nakanohito. Our findings enhance the understanding of AI-driven VTubers and their impact on digital streaming culture.

Problem

• Investigating viewer perceptions of AI-driven VTubers
• Analyzing how AI constructs virtual personas for streaming
• Understanding audience engagement with AI as the controller

Innovation

• AI-driven VTubers replace human operators
• Case study analyzes Reddit and YouTube data
• Investigates viewer perception of AI authenticity