What is a VTuber and how is it different from AI? Many people may have seen a viral video of 2D characters singing on a big screen with the sound of many fans screaming in the background, and the comments under that video usually ask why they scream over an AI singing. But in fact, they are not AI.  Let’s get to know VTubers, online entertainers who communicate with their audiences through avatars.

What is VTuber

VTuber or virtual YouTuber is a comment creator who create their own content like a general YouTuber, whether it is playing games, singing, talking or general entertainment for viewers. But it is different from a YouTuber since VTuber use an avatar to present their own image instead of using their real face.

The beginning of how VTuber became famous worldwide started on November 29, 2016 with the launch of a YouTube channel called Kizuna Ai. She is considered one of the first VTubers to gain popularity to the point of having almost 3 million subscribers. Her content is not much different from other YouTubers, but since she is a 2D avatar which is kind of new, she attracted quite a lot of people’s attention at that time.

In the past 1-2 years, Thailand has been influenced by VTubers to the point that we have our own VTuber agencies, such as Algorthym Project, Pixela Project, and even independent VTubers with no agency such as Azuru Crainiser, Aisha Channel, etc.

VTuber in the understanding of the public who may have never seen VTuber before often think that they are anime characters or AI that uses programs to generate their voice to communicate with viewers. But Bizview channel has interviewed a Thai VTuber named Euthalia Zephyr. He said that VTuber is like a type of artist, entertainers or content creators who represent themselves with a model. Behind the model of VTubers, there are real people who eat, sleep and live like normal people. But choose to work behind the model instead of showing their own face.

VTuber is another career that is being debated whether it will be replaced by AI or not. Especially when some fans mention that being a VTuber is already presenting an avatar instead of their own face, and now there are real AI VTubers, will VTubers who are humans behind the avatar survive in this industry? Let’s take a look at the differences between human VTubers and AI VTubers.

AI VTubers

Currently, there are several AI VTubers that have been introduced, including Neuro-sama, whose voice and personality were programmed by an AI developer named Vedal. He had the idea of creating an AI VTuber using a large language model and computer animated avatars. Her model was designed by “annytf”. 

She made her Twitch debut on December 19, 2022, and in January 2025, she was ranked 7th among the most followed creators on Twitch.

Her content is not much different from other VTubers, such as playing games, singing, and talking to viewers and other VTubers during the collaboration. She is mainly programmed to talk and respond to viewer comments and donations sent into the stream.

Other than Neuro-sama, there are also many AI VTubers who programmed similar to her such as Lena AI, Melba Toast, AI Caroline, etc.

Even though they can do the same things as regular VTubers, there are still many VTuber fans who have criticized the differences. Most comments say that it is disrespectful towards artists in the art community, including illustrators, designers, and owners of voices that have been generated by AI, and they do not want to support people who use AI in this industry.

Human VTuber VS AI VTubers

One thing that AI still can’t do as well as human VTubers is expressing emotions and special abilities that require the right brain to be trained such as drawing, producing music, dubbing, etc.

We know that AI can generate images, but no matter how it does, the images generated by AI will never be as profound as the images drawn by humans. Same as music producing and dubbing. Since AI generated voices cannot show much emotions, using them to create music or dubbing might make the result become too robotic and make people feel weird about it.

From what we’ve mentioned about what human VTubers can do, we’ve probably seen some examples of them.

One of the most popular works in Thailand is the song คงคา(Endless Echo) by Algorhythm Project, on November 26, 2023.  It has 18 million views(as of April 4, 2025).This song is about the goddess Ganga, combining traditional Thai music with modern music to create an atmosphere reminiscent of listening to it in an ancient Thai house.

This song was produced by a Vtuber from the same agency called Magnum and was sung by Evalia. It also features harmonies with Schneider, Ark, Aoi Crescent, Zekai, and HyougaAlpha, all of them are VTubers from Algorhythm Project.

Moreover, the music video of this song also produced by many Thai creators, whether it’s the Thai-style wall painting drawn by @CapTB40, the hand-drawn animation by @saratowga, the storyboard drawing by @ning_maekaning, the MV animation by @MaruZesu, @AinozamiS, @Arwake0606, @Shijohane, @Zarkuga, @Gofzilla_147, @weiss_knight, and many other animators.

Since the VTubers community was created to support human artists primarily. Because to create one VTuber, it requires many artists, whether it’s model design, model drawing, model movement, the person behind the model (or what people in the industry called soul).

Especially if that VTuber has their own song, it must include songwriters, producers, illustrators, and animators. Which is another type of business that can support human artists very well.

That’s why the use of AI in the VTuber industry has become another issue that has been widely debated.

How AI can really “help” in VTuber industry

But since today’s technology has gone further than in the past, AI is another tool that if used properly , can be a convenient labor-saving tool in this industry.

For example, using AI for community interaction. Many VTubers have communities for their fandoms, such as a Discord server, which can sometimes have small problems such as managing chat or repeated questions. AI will help manage answering FAQs, moderate chats to solve minor problems that may not require humans to handle. 

Similar to the time when VTubers steamed, they often needed a moderator behind the scenes to moderate the live chat. For example, some channels may have rules against using foul language in the chat, and sometimes using AI to filter out comments that violate the rules can make the moderator’s job easier.

So what are your thoughts on AI in VTuber industry? Do you think that this should be a place for human artists and AI should be used for some of the labor-saving? Don’t forget to let us know your thoughts!