The biggest streamer on Twitch, Félix Lengyel (27), also known as “xQc”, recently announced his switch to the platform Kick. But the actual sensation occurred simultaneously, when a mysterious Twitch channel named “xQc_AI” suddenly skyrocketed.
When the well-known Twitch streamer xQc announced his switch to the platform Kick in June, no one suspected that he could be simply replaced. The mysterious Twitch channel “xQc_AI” captured the hearts of viewers by presenting an artificial intelligence that adopts xQc’s appearance and word choice.
With the ability to answer questions from the chat via a special command, this AI avatar has garnered a lot of attention in recent weeks.
More about the original xQc can be seen in our video:
AI imitation reaches nearly 1,500 viewers after switch
How successful is AI xQc? While the initial streams of the artificial intelligence in February/March 2023 averaged only 4–14 viewers, things changed dramatically just a week later. The average viewer numbers quickly grew into the triple digits.
After a brief pause in April and May, the artificial intelligence returned in June. In July, xQc_AI began broadcasting the new hit game Only Up, reaching new viewer dimensions. The average viewer counts jumped into the four-digit range, peaking at an impressive 1,356 viewers (via TwitchTracker).
Of course, these numbers pale in comparison to the real xQc, with average viewers of 50,000. However, it should be noted that the AI with these numbers is already in the top 0.09% of Twitch streamers and among the 7,000 most successful channels on Twitch.
Fans complain that they understand the AI too well
How strong is the similarity to the real xQc? A key factor for the AI’s success lies in its astonishing ability to communicate in different languages. Especially English sounds nearly perfect. The avatar adopts the word choice and speech style of the original streamer xQc, leading to a nearly authentic streaming experience.
However, the AI is not without criticism. True fans of xQc complain that xQc_AI does not stutter and mumble enough, as the real streamer occasionally does. This has led to humorous comments on Twitter that the AI is more understandable than its human counterpart.
How does this affect xQc’s numbers? While “xQc_AI” is conquering the streaming world, xQc has seen slight declines in viewer counts since the announcement of his switch. Before the announcement, he averaged an impressive 70,000 viewers, but now his numbers range between 48,000 and 60,000.
While it cannot be said whether there is a direct relationship between the declining numbers and the AI alternative, xQc_AI likely benefited from the fact that the real streamer is now seen less on Twitch.
The success story of xQc_AI raises the question of whether artificial intelligences could pose a potential threat to established streamers.
Is the development of artificial intelligences a threat to current streamers? xQc_AI has ignited the discussion about the future of artificial intelligence in the entertainment sector.
The ongoing development of AI technologies will undoubtedly raise further questions about privacy, ethics, and the interaction between humans and machines.
As the streaming world evolves, it will be exciting to observe how the success of xQc_AI and similar AI avatars will impact the industry. How other streamers utilize artificial intelligence to their advantage can be read here:
Twitch streamer uses artificial intelligence to “meet the needs of the fans”
