SOOP launches AI manager service to keep streams running when broadcasters step away

"The most I ever earned in a single month was just over 400 million won," said BJ Gwajupseyeon, whose real name is In Se-yeon. Fellow streamer BJ Seo Ji-su has said she made 3 million won (about $2,170) in just four hours.

SOOP — the platform formerly known as AfreecaTV and home to some of the country's top-earning solo streamers — is now venturing into AI. The company has unveiled an AI manager service that lets an AI interact directly with viewers in place of the streamer.

The move raises questions about whether AI could reshape the content and revenue model built around SOOP's "Star Balloon" virtual gifting system.

SOOP released the beta version of its AI manager service, SARSA (SOOP AI Realtime Streaming Assistant) 2.0, on Tuesday.

SARSA is designed to support streamers in running their broadcasts and engaging with viewers.

The 2.0 update introduces a feature that lets the AI take over viewer interaction and keep a stream going when the streamer steps away. If a streamer leaves briefly or starts a sleep-stream, the AI holds conversations with viewers, recommends content and watches VODs alongside them to maintain the broadcast's momentum.

The standout feature is that the AI mirrors the individual streamer's personality through data training — effectively acting as the streamer's digital avatar.

The AI learns from a streamer's VOD archive and broadcast data to replicate their speech patterns and on-air atmosphere, then carries on real-time conversations with viewers based on live chat and the flow of the broadcast. It also draws on the topics and content styles the streamer typically favors to run a broadcast that feels consistent with that creator's identity.

The service integrates with Freeshot Plus, the dedicated broadcasting software for SOOP streamers. During broadcast setup, streamers can choose to activate the AI manager manually or have it take over automatically after the system detects they have been away for a set period.

SOOP plans to roll out SARSA 2.0 to a select group of streamers first, then expand availability based on actual usage patterns and viewer feedback. The company also said it will continue refining the AI manager's capabilities by incorporating input from both streamers and viewers, with the goal of making it useful across a wider range of broadcast environments.

As AI enables streamers to produce richer, more varied content, attention is turning to whether the technology will also affect donation-based revenue.

Roughly 70 percent of SOOP's total sales come from donation-based sources such as Star Balloons and subscriptions — a structure that has allowed individual streamers to earn hundreds of millions of won.

Meanwhile, SOOP is also pushing deeper into fandom-driven commerce through Sooptore, a platform that combines live streaming with shopping. The company has built a system linking streamer content directly to product purchases, so donations and transactions can happen simultaneously during a live broadcast. SOOP also supports streamers end-to-end — from design through production and retail — as they develop and launch their own merchandise, including clothing, keyrings and light sticks, through Sooptore.