Viewers suspect Twitch of using AI to issue permanent bans

Twitch has been suspected of using a “hidden” Artificial Intelligence AutoMod feature to hand out permanent bans to its users and the community is outraged.

Twitch bans have continued to have a big impact on all types of streamers, from smaller creators who get only a handful of viewers, to leading streamers with thousands of views.

Bans have been given for many different reasons, including hateful usernames, sexually suggestive content, offensive terms said by streamers or viewers in chat and more.

In order to tackle the constant messages said in chat daily, Twitch introduced AutoMod and Chat Bots to help automate the process of keeping the chat clean.

However, Twitch has now been accused of going a step further and using a “hidden” AI-based version of AutoMod to automatically ban users permanently on the streaming platform.

At the time of writing, Twitch has not confirmed if they are using an AI version of AutoMod or the use of Spirit AI to permanently ban users on their platform.

Twitch suspected of using AI AutoMod to permanently ban users

Popular streamer PaymoneyWubby was shocked when they came across a Twitch user forum post by Cragsand that claimed a hidden AI AutoMod was banning users.

“Right now making mature jokes in chat can get chatters permanently suspended globally on Twitch completely without any human intervention that requires context.

“Clarification: This is not about regular AutoMod but the hidden global AI AutoMod present in all of Twitch channels,” the streamer read out loud, responding: “Omg this is a real problem!”

Cragsand states that the AI-based AutoMod will permanently suspend your account for saying in chat anything regarding: “self-harm,” “threat of violence,” “jokes towards a protected group,” and “sexual advances.”

This soon caused uproar among the Twitch community who were quick to respond: “The number of people I’ve seen falsely banned in the last week and a half has been insane.”

Another added: “This website continues to make the most out-of-touch business decisions, it’s almost like they want to kill the site off. If you want to make money, this is not how you do it.”

“People have been abusing the AutoMod to get innocent chatters banned. It does not understand context and the appeals process also is not very helpful,” a user claimed.

Cragsand also shared an official Twitch blog post from 2022 which revealed the streaming platform had acquired Spirit AI with the aim of “Fortifying the technology that detects harmful text of all kinds on Twitch.”