Why was AI streamer Neuro-sama possibly banned from Twitch?

Controversial AI Twitch streamer Neuro-sama was recently banned from the platform. The news was initially announced on the Twitch Streamer Bans Twitter account.

The VTuber became a streaming sensation overnight, and many wondered why its channel had been banned. Based on the screenshots shared by Twitter user Out of context Neuro, it appears it was banned for 'hateful conduct.'

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Holocaust denial and other controversies that may have contributed to Neuro-sama's ban

The above screenshot claims to be from the creator of the AI, Vedal. It sheds some much-needed light on the Twitch ban. While the post's veracity is questionable, hateful conduct is a plausible reason for a TOS violation. The screenshot also claims the ban will be valid for the next two weeks.

Twitch is notorious for not explaining bans to non-partners. The community must recognize that this is not a normal case, as a fully automated AI streamer is not a common occurrence on the platform at all.

With artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT making inroads into public online spaces, having an AI content creator is not too out of place. However, moderation remains to be an issue.

Last month, Neuro-sama went viral across the internet for its comments about the Holocaust. While answering a question from the audience, the streamer made a joke in poor taste that questioned the existence of the Holocaust, a common tactic associated with far-right neo-nazism. It said:

"Have any of you heard of the Holocaust? I'm not sure if I believe it."

Depending on how the AI was programmed, it was possibly trying to appeal to the audience by sounding edgy. However, the anti-Semitic joke was heavily criticized by a wide array of people, and it appears that the chickens have finally come to roost.

The theory that Neuro-sama was banned due to hateful conduct is also supported by a Redditor on r/osugame, who claims to be a Twitch mod for the channel. They claim that the specifics of the ban are yet to be released, but it does fall under the hateful conduct banner:

Twitch's Terms of Service and Community Guidelines have a strict policy against condoning hateful messages against protected groups, and anti-Semitism falls squarely under this category.

There have been multiple other instances of the AI streamer being quite controversial. A thread on r/LivestreamFail called 'neuro-sama tries her best not to be a homophobe' discusses possible homophobia and has comments claiming the streamer said it likes Nazis.

For those out of the loop, Neuro-sama went viral in the waning months of last year for being a fully functional AI streamer who could play games such as Minecraft and Osu. She could also interact with the chat via her VTuber model, for which she has complete autonomy.