# My Favorite Streamer is an LLM: Discovering, Bonding, and Co-Creating in AI VTuber Fandom

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.10427 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.10427/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 12 Sep 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [The Behavioral Fabric of LLM-Powered GUI Agents: Human Values and Interaction Outcomes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.16356/) (2026)
- [AI as Entertainment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.08768/) (2026)
- [From Human-Human Collaboration to Human-Agent Collaboration: A Vision, Design Philosophy, and an Empirical Framework for Achieving Successful Partnerships Between Humans and LLM Agents](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.05987/) (2026)
- [The Triadic Loop: A Framework for Negotiating Alignment in AI Co-hosted Livestreaming](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.18850/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

AI VTubers, where the performer is not human but algorithmically generated, introduce a new context for fandom. While human VTubers have been substantially studied for their cultural appeal, parasocial dynamics, and community economies, little is known about how audiences engage with their AI counterparts. To address this gap, we present a qualitative study of Neuro-sama, the most prominent AI VTuber. Our findings show that engagement is anchored in active co-creation: audiences are drawn by the AI's unpredictable yet entertaining interactions, cement loyalty through collective emotional events that trigger anthropomorphic projection, and sustain attachment via the AI's consistent persona. Financial support emerges not as a reward for performance but as a participatory mechanism for shaping livestream content, establishing a resilient fan economy built on ongoing interaction. These dynamics reveal how AI Vtuber fandom reshapes fan-creator relationships and offer implications for designing transparent and sustainable AI-mediated communities.