# Does Persona Make LLMs K-pop Fans? A Pilot Study of LLM-Based Online Concert Audience Agents

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.07837 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.07837/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 8 of its 24 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 5 Jun 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 8 of 8)

- [Generative Agents: Interactive Simulacra of Human Behavior](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.03442/) (2023)
- [Out of One, Many: Using Language Models to Simulate Human Samples](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.06899/) (2022)
- [Texygen: A Benchmarking Platform for Text Generation Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1802.01886/) (2018)
- [Character-LLM: A Trainable Agent for Role-Playing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.10158/) (2023)
- [LLM Generated Persona is a Promise with a Catch](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.16527/) (2025)
- [CharacterBox: Evaluating the Role-Playing Capabilities of LLMs in Text-Based Virtual Worlds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.05631/) (2024)
- [Computational Hermeneutics: Evaluating generative AI as a cultural technology](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.16403/) (2026)
- [Concert Interaction Translation: Augmenting VR Live Concert Experience using Chat-Driven Artificial Collective Reactions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.13121/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

A concert is a collective experience, but recorded performance videos are typically watched alone, stripping away the shared audience presence that makes concerts feel eventful. We investigate whether persona-based LLM audience agents can recreate aspects of this collective experience by generating real-time fan chat alongside a K-pop performance video. We present a multi-agent system in which ten LLM agents react through live-chat messages, comparing a persona-conditioned audience (each agent assigned a distinct fan identity, bias, and chat style) with a no-persona baseline. In a within-subjects pilot with K-pop fans (N=11), persona conditioning substantially improved model-level chat quality and perceived naturalness, but did not translate into differences in social connectedness, engagement, or affective response. Interviews suggest that online K-pop concert chat may operate as collective monologue rather than interpersonal dialogue, and that meaningful participation depends on shared identification with the specific artist and fandom. Persona conditioning can make LLM audiences appear more natural, but culturally meaningful collective experience may require deeper alignment between persona, crowd behavior, fandom identity, and user expectations.