View source for Biography:Neuro-sama

{{Short description|Artificial intelligence VTuber}}
{{Infobox Twitch streamer
| name = Neuro-sama
| image = Neurosama new model.png
| caption = Neuro-sama’s second design
| occupation = {{flatlist|
* [[Company:Twitch (service)|Twitch streamer]]
* [[Social:YouTuber|YouTuber]]
* Virtual YouTuber
}}
| channel_name = vedal987
| years_active = 2022–present
| genre = {{flatlist|
* [[Video game live streaming|Gaming]]
* chatting
* singing
}}
| games = {{flatlist|
* ''[[Software:Osu!|osu!]]''
* ''[[Software:Minecraft|Minecraft]]''
* ''Chess''}}
| followers = 500,000+<ref name="metrics">{{cite web |title=vedal987 - Streamer Profile & Stats |url=https://www.twitchmetrics.net/c/85498365-vedal987 |website=Twitch Metrics |access-date=28 May 2023}}</ref>
| module = {{Infobox YouTube personality
| subbox               = yes
| years_active         = 2022–present
| channel_direct_url   = @Neurosama
| channel_display_name = Neuro-sama Ch. Vedal AI
| genre                = {{flatlist|
* [[Video game live streaming|Gaming]]
* Chatting
* Singing
}}
| subscribers          = 194,000+
<!--please update date in stats_update field when you update this-->
<!--do not add the date here as that is already at the bottom of the infobox-->
| stats_update         = 4 January 2024
}}
}}

'''Neuro-sama''' is a [[Chatbot|chatbot]] styled after a female [[Social:VTuber|VTuber]] that hosts livestreams on the [[Company:Twitch (service)|Twitch]] channel "vedal987". Her speech and personality are generated by an [[Artificial intelligence|artificial intelligence]] (AI) system which utilizes a [[Large language model|large language model]], allowing her to communicate with viewers in a live chat. She was created by a computer programmer and AI-developer named Vedal, who decided to build upon the concept of an AI VTuber by combining interactions between [[Software:Artificial intelligence in video games|AI gameplay]] and a computer-generated [[Avatar (computing)|avatar]]. She debuted on Twitch on 19 December 2022 after four years of development.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is AI VTuber? (9 Faq About AI VTuber) |url=https://live3d.io/blog/what-is-AI-vtuber |access-date=2023-10-27 |website=live3d.io |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Development==
Neuro-sama was created by developer vedal987.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Narita |first=Seiji |date=January 27, 2023 |title=AI VTuber Neuro-sama is back from its Twitch ban and acting as strange as ever |work=Automation |publisher=Active Gaming Media |url=https://automaton-media.com/en/news/20230127-17630/ |access-date=February 11, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Vedal Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/Vedal987}}</ref> Her responses to the audience are generated from a [[Large language model|large language model]], which a text-to-speech application converts into a "cutesy voice".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=D'Anastasio |first=Cecilia |date=June 17, 2023 |title=Meet Neuro-sama, the AI Twitch Streamer Who Plays Minecraft, Sings Karaoke, Loves Art |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2023-06-16/neuro-sama-an-ai-twitch-influencer-plays-minecraft-sings-karaoke-loves-art |access-date=June 30, 2023 |website={{wipe|Bloomberg News}}}}</ref> According to Vedal, a separate AI model controls her in-game actions when she plays video games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=【Vedal's Interview】Neuro sama's New Model, and the AI System behind her |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yy-9Of46w4A |website=[[Company:YouTube|YouTube]]}}</ref> In an interview with ''{{wipe|Bloomberg News}}'', he said that Neuro-sama was his full-time job.<ref name=":0" />

After four years of development, Neuro-sama debuted on [[Company:Twitch (service)|Twitch]] on 19 December 2022.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Gordon |first=Nicholas |date=January 17, 2023 |title=ChatGPT is a salvo in a growing generative A.I. 'arms race' between the U.S. and China |url=https://fortune.com/2023/01/17/chatgpt-generative-ai-arms-race-china-us/ |access-date=January 22, 2023 |website=Fortune |language=en}}</ref> Her new design was implemented on 27 May 2023.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1662572237080391681|user=annytf|title=I had a lot of fun making the new model for Neuro-Sama!! wink heart 💜|date=May 27, 2023|access-date=July 5, 2023}}</ref>

==History==
===2022===
Neuro streamed every day from her debut. She rapidly grew in popularity, from a maximum concurrent viewership of 516 on 19 December to 3,393 on 31 December, and going from a Twitch follower count of 2,825 to around 40,000 in the same time period. Nearly all of her streaming content in 2022 was of the rhythm game [[Software:Osu!|osu!]], with one Minecraft stream. 

On 28 December, she defeated [[Software:Osu!|osu!]] champion mrekk 10-5 in a 1v1 contest.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1608161326291116032|user=Vedal987|title=incoming transmission from neuro sama mrekkosu|date=December 28, 2022|access-date=December 19, 2023}}</ref>

===2023===
On 3 January, Neuro-sama reached 50,000 Twitch followers.

On 4 January, Neuro-sama sang for the first time on stream, performing "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Neuro-sama Sings Her First Song on Stream - Blinding Lights |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K6gzxYj-0o|date=January 4, 2023|access-date=December 19, 2023}}</ref>

On 11 January, she was temporarily banned from Twitch for two weeks for a Terms of Service violation.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1613203441907601408|user=BetterBanned|title=🚨 ️Twitch Affiliate "vedal987" has been temporary banned 🚫❌|date=January 11, 2023|access-date=December 19, 2023}}</ref>

On 25 January, Neuro-sama returned to Twitch with a stream in which she played Pokémon Showdown! Gen 4 random battles against viewers.

On 20 February, Neuro-sama reached 200,000 Twitch followers. It was announced during a stream with Vtuber Onigiri. Neuro-sama responded: "Yeah. That's amazing. I'm happy I have that many people following me. I hope I keep them entertained with my streams and content for as long as possible, and I hope I get to meet more of you in the future, so thank you for following me everybody, and please add more of my followers, because I love all of you so much. Thank you so much. Heart heart."

On 25 March, a new character acting as a [[Social:Doppelgänger|doppelgänger]] to Neuro-sama was introduced on vedal987's channel. She was later named Evil Neuro and became a recurring character.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-12 |title=VTuber Neuro-sama terrifies viewers with her gruesome game concept |url=https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/vtuber-neuro-sama-terrifies-viewers-with-her-gruesome-game-concept-2173437/ |access-date=2023-12-24 |website=Dexerto |language=en}}</ref>

On 15 April, Neuro-sama held a stream with Hololive member Takanashi Kiara, during which they rated the contents of viewers' refrigerators. The stream reached a peak of over 19,000 viewers on Kiara's channel and over 10,000 on Neuro-sama's. It was the first collaboration between Neuro-sama and a member of a major agency. She also reached 300,000 Twitch followers.

On 27 May, Neuro-sama held an official debut stream to reveal her first original [[Software:Live2D|Live2D]] model. She had previously used a ready-made model. According to TwitchTracker, the stream reached a peak of 25,687 concurrent viewers, beating the channel's previous record by more than double.<ref>{{Cite web |title=vedal987|url=https://twitchtracker.com/vedal987/streams/46900957772|access-date=December 19, 2023|website=TwitchTracker}}</ref>

On 30 May, Neuro-sama was announced to be participating in OffKai Expo 2023, held from 16-18 June, marking her first fan convention appearance.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1663576957114515457|user=OffKaiExpo|title=Exciting news! @Vedal987's creation, @NeurosamaAI, the incredible AI-powered VTuber, will be a special guest at #OffKaiGen2! Join us for a unique experience and witness the charm of Neuro-sama in action!|date=May 30, 2023|access-date=January 4, 2024}}</ref>

On 14 June, Neuro-sama held her first sponsored stream, in the form of a watchalong commentating on the debut stream of a talent from vtuber group idolEN.<ref>{{cite web |author1=@idol_corp |title=Your favorite VTubers will watch idolEN 2, will you? |url=https://twitter.com/idol_corp/status/1668811000265547778 |website=Twitter / X |access-date=27 January 2024}}</ref>

On 1 September, Neuro-sama reached 400,000 Twitch followers.

On 16 December, vedal987 received an award for Best Tech [[Social:VTuber|VTuber]] at the 2023 Vtuber Awards.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sung |first=Morgan |date=2023-12-20 |title=The first annual VTuber Awards was a win for VR |url=https://techcrunch.com/2023/12/20/vtuber-awards-vr-twitch-weplay-filian/ |access-date=2023-12-25 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US}}</ref>

On 19 December, Neuro-sama held her first subathon alongside her first anniversary of streaming on Twitch.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1736395894893797608|user=Vedal987|title=the long awaited subathon begins december 19th at 7pm GMT|date=December 17, 2023|access-date=December 24, 2023}}</ref>

During the subathon Neuro-sama achieved the status of most watched Vtuber across all major [[Livestreaming|livestreaming]] platforms,<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1740729380794507492|user=StreamsCharts|title=TOP VTubers in the 4th week of December|date|December 29, 2023|access-date=January 4, 2024}}</ref> and most watched female streamer on Twitch for the fourth week of December according to Streams Charts.<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1740757063721230544|user=StreamsCharts|title=TOP Female Twitch streamers - 4th week of December|date|December 29, 2023|access-date=January 4, 2024}}</ref>

===2024===
On 4 January, Neuro-sama ended her subathon after 17 days of continuous [[Livestreaming|livestreaming]], garnering a total of 41,767 Twitch subscriptions, and 2.43 million collective watch hours. 

On 28 January, Neuro-sama reached 500,000 Twitch followers. 

==Online content==
The chatbot's Twitch content primarily centers around playing video games, notably ''[[Software:Osu!|osu!]]'' (2007), in which her gameplay once defeated the best human player in the world, and ''[[Software:Minecraft|Minecraft]]'' (2011), in which her adaptations to [[Software:Sandbox game|sandbox]] gameplay have gained notoriety.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gutelle |first=Sam |date=January 6, 2023 |title=There's an AI VTuber now and it has 70,000 followers on Twitch |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/01/06/neuro-sama-twitch-ai-vtuber-streamer/ |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=[[Company:Tubefilter|Tubefilter]]}}</ref> Other aspects of her content delivery include [[Engineering:Music technology (electronic and digital)#Singing synthesis after 2010s|singing]] songs, playing chess with her viewers, chatting with other [[Social:VTuber|VTubers]] during collaborations and [[Reaction video|reacting to YouTube videos]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="ReactionContentKotaku" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-25 |title=Filian and her friends took on "The Wall" in an innovative VTuber game show |url=https://www.tubefilter.com/2023/10/25/filian-vtuber-twitch-game-show-hole-in-the-wall/ |access-date=2023-12-24 |website=Tubefilter |language=en-US}}</ref> While playing games or participating in other activities, the AI frequently engages with viewers by responding to their questions and acknowledging donations. Her comedic and sometimes controversial responses to the live chat have gone viral, accelerating the rise in popularity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Xiang |first=Chloe |date=January 5, 2023 |title=This Virtual Twitch Streamer is Controlled Entirely By AI |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkg98v/this-virtual-twitch-streamer-is-controlled-entirely-by-ai |access-date=January 13, 2022 |website=Vice}}</ref> Her fanbase has dubbed itself "The Swarm".<ref name=":1" />

==Controversy==
On 11 January 2023, the Twitch channel received a temporary ban for unspecified "hateful conduct", likely stemming from controversial statements made by the AI, including [[Unsolved:Holocaust denial|skepticism surrounding the validity of the Holocaust]] during a stream.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gach |first=Ethan |date=January 6, 2023 |title=AI-Controlled VTuber Streams Games On Twitch, Denies Holocaust |url=https://kotaku.com/vtuber-twitch-holocaust-denial-minecraft-ai-chatgpt-1849960527 |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=Kotaku}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gach |first=Ethan |date=January 12, 2023 |title=AI VTuber Banned For 'Hateful Conduct,' Now Undistinguishable From Real Twitch Stars |url=https://kotaku.com/neuro-sama-twitch-vtuber-ban-holocaust-minecraft-ai-1849977269 |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=Kotaku}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pabriga |first=Cedric |date=January 12, 2023 |title=Controversial AI streamer Neuro Sama finally banned on Twitch |url=https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/controversial-ai-streamer-neuro-sama-finally-banned-on-twitch |access-date=January 13, 2023 |website=Dot Esports}}</ref> Vedal implemented more measures to prevent Neuro-sama from making offensive statements after this occurred.<ref name="ReactionContentKotaku">{{Cite news |last=Winslow |first=Levi |date=February 4, 2023 |title=Twitch's Mega Popular AI Streamer Now Pulling In Thousands Of Viewers With Reaction Content |work=Kotaku Australia |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2023/02/twitchs-mega-popular-ai-streamer-now-pulling-in-thousands-of-viewers-with-reaction-content/ |access-date=February 11, 2023}}</ref>
The channel was unbanned on 25 January 2023 and surpassed 100,000 followers the same day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=vedal987 |url=https://twitchtracker.com/vedal987/statistics |access-date=2023-02-03 |website=TwitchTracker}}</ref>

==Discography==
===As featured artist===
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+
|+ Covers
|-
! scope="col" | Original Artist
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Ref.
|-
|KIRA
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| "Monster"<br />{{small| (Camila feat. Neuro-sama)}}
| rowspan="2" |2023
|<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1690080430748250112|user=cumilq|title=MY FIRST COVER IS FINALLY OUT ! ! [ MONSTER ] ( by KIRA ) Cover by Camila ft. NeurosamaAI|date=August 11, 2023|access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>
|-
|Set It Off
| scope="row" style="text-align:left;"| "Why Do I"<br />{{small| (Will Stetson feat. Neuro-sama)}}
|<ref>{{Cite tweet|number=1736408912050700468|user=willstetson|title=New Cover!! Why Do I / Will Stetson x Neuro-sama|date=December 17, 2023|access-date=January 26, 2024}}</ref>
|-
|}
== Awards and nominations ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Year
!Ceremony
!Category
!Result
!Ref.
|-
| align="center"|2023
|The Vtuber Awards
|Best Tech VTuber
|{{won}}
| align="center" |<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Vtuber Awards - Winners |url=https://thevtuberawards.com/winners |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=The Vtuber Awards |language=en}}</ref>
|}

==See also==
* [[15.ai|15.ai]], an artificial intelligence speech synthesizer that generates voices from an assortment of fictional characters from a variety of media sources
* ai sponge, a [[Company:Twitch (service)|Twitch]] and [[Company:YouTube|YouTube]] channel that used [[Artificial intelligence|artificial intelligence]] (AI) to generate [[Livestreaming|livestream]] content featuring characters from the animated ''[[Social:SpongeBob SquarePants|SpongeBob SquarePants]]''
* Nothing, Forever, a 24/7 procedurally generated animated sitcom parodying ''Seinfeld'' that was launched on [[Company:Twitch (service)|Twitch]] on 14 December 2022, five days before Neuro-sama
* [[Software:Tay (bot)|Tay]], a chatbot taken offline for denying the [[Social:The Holocaust|Holocaust]]<ref>{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Dave |title=Tay: Microsoft issues apology over racist chatbot fiasco |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-35902104 |website=BBC News Online |publisher=BBC News |access-date=27 January 2024 |quote=Microsoft has apologised for creating an artificially intelligent chatbot that quickly turned into a holocaust-denying racist. ... Within 24 hours Tay had been deactivated so the team could make "adjustments".}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Chatbots]]

{{Sourceattribution|Neuro-sama}}