Kizuna AI (キズナアイ), is a Japanese virtual YouTuber and self-proclaimed artificial intelligence. As of 2020, she is the largest virtual YouTuber on YouTube with over 4 million subscribers across three channels (A.I Channel, A.I. Games, A.I Channel China) as well as another 1 million subscribers on the Chinese streaming/video sharing platform bilibili.Kizuna Ai first posted her videos on her YouTube channel, “A.I.Channel” on 29 November 2016. A second channel, “A.I. Games,” was opened in March 2017 for gaming-related content. A third channel, “A.I.Channel China”, launched in June 2019 for a Chinese audience.

Kizuna claims to be the world’s first Virtual YouTuber, though the first channel to use a CG avatar for vlogging purposes on YouTube was the channel of English-Japanese Ami Yamato, who debuted her first video in 2011. Many[who?] speculate that Kizuna was created using the MikuMikuDance software,[citation needed][original research?] and given facial expression and actions using motion capture technology. Kizuna’s video content is similar to many other YouTubers, consisting primarily of discussions, Q&A videos, and more traditional “Let’s Play” videos. Because Kizuna only communicates in Japanese, fans contribute translations for her videos, and there are entire unofficial communities built around these translators, filling the void of an official English community. Kizuna has also performed at the various Anime Conventions, and has also worked with many game companies.

Originally since her conception in 2016, Her was managed directly by the company that created her, Activ8, and later in 2018 by its in-house agency upd8. Nonetheless in 2020, Activ8 decided to retire Her from upd8 and create a company dedicated exclusively to her and the Her Inc. was created for that purpose.

Before taken its current incarnation, Kizuna AI Inc. was known as Project A.I., until the official announcement on 24 April 2020 Kizuna. With the announcement, Japanese voice actress Nozomi Kasuga (春日望) also disclosed her role as the main voice actress of Kizuna AI and advisor of the new company. The Kizuna AI Inc. started activities formally on 11 May 2020 with Eriko Matsumoto (松本恵利子) as the CEO.

With the creation of her own company and the departure from upd8, new decisions about Love-chan and Aipii were taken, like the creation of their independent Twitter accounts, a new YouTube channel and new appearances and identities, stopping the two to be clones of Kizuna AI to be their own Virtual Youtuber.