RBW, the K-pop agency behind Mamamoo, Oh My Girl, Young Posse and Oneus, is facing backlash after collaborating with tech company Klleon to launch AI chatbot versions of its artists — a move criticized by fans for exposing the idols to potential online harassment.

While this is far from the industry’s first experiment with the technology, the incident particularly hit a nerve amid growing concerns over deepfakes and the excessive commodification of K-pop idols’ personal identities in the digital space without appropriate safeguards.


What happened?

The virtual chatbots in question, removed from Klleon’s Almigo chatbot service app as of Saturday, featured the likenesses and names of RBW’s idols. Designed to simulate private conversations, the characters employed the personas of real-life idols, creating an illusion of a one-on-one interaction.

Fans immediately voiced outrage, accusing the service of exposing artists to indirect and direct online abuse, particularly due to a premium “Spicy” option that offers “diverse and exciting conversation” — which many viewed as potentially suggestive, despite Klleon’s strong denial of such intent. No cases of chatbot misuse have been reported.

Following the outrage, RBW issued a brief statement on its X account on June 6, offering an apology.

“We apologize for causing offense regarding Almigo’s artist characters,” the agency said.

RBW added that the characters would be removed from the app within a day, and pledged that similar incidents would not occur again.

The Korea JoongAng Daily reached out to the agency for comments on Tuesday, but it did not respond to further inquiries beyond its initial statement.

Up in arms

Fans swiftly flooded social media, launching a hashtag campaign against the agency as well as the chatbot operator. As of Tuesday, the outcry has shown little sign of abating despite the company’s apology last week, as fans continue to run an “Anti-AI chatbot” movement online, demanding a more detailed explanation and a solid plan to prevent recurrence.

“RBW Entertainment has not yet provided a clear and official apology to the artist or presented follow-up measures to prevent recurrence,” said an X account named RBW AI Chat App Opposition General Coalition in a statement uploaded on Monday.

Pointing out that a similar attempt had been made last year with a pilot version of the Almigo service, the fans are demanding the complete removal of files relevant to artist profiles that can be used to develop AI chatbots, stating, “As long as the development files of the artists’ chatbots remain stored, fans’ concerns cannot be resolved.”

Klleon CEO Jin Seung-hyuk issued a statement on the Almigo app Saturday, stating: “I sincerely apologize for not providing a sufficient explanation in advance. I fully recognize and regret the confusion and inconvenience this has caused.”

But the Almigo project “is in no way related to deepfake technology,” the statement read, in response to fans’ accusations of the technology’s involvement, and that photos and recordings used for the chatbots were directly taken and filmed by Klleon under clear communication with the artists about a year and a half ago.

In a call with the Korea JoongAng Daily, Jin clarified that the controversial “Spicy” feature — designed to enable broader conversational responses using a more powerful AI model — was never activated for RBW-affiliated chatbots.

Addressing concerns over potential misuse, Jin said that “moderation tools have advanced significantly over the past two years,” stressing that thorough preventive measures were in place.

“There has been insensitivity on the part of our marketing and user experience elements,” the CEO added, but emphasized that Klleon has been working with government agencies to enhance protections against online abuse.


Coexisting with AI

RBW’s controversial move comes as many K-pop agencies seek to monetize artists' intellectual property — which encompasses not only music and brands but also overall artistic and personal identity, including image, personality and voice — in a bid to diversify their revenue streams.

AI has been playing a growing role in such initiatives. Prominent examples include boy band Ateez’s collaboration with Minirecord’s MINIai, an AI-powered voice call service, last year, and HYBE’s “Learn! KOREAN with BTS” learning kit released in 2021, which featured AI-generated voice messages using BTS members’ real voices to encourage fans.

NCsoft’s now-deactivated Universe platform was one failed attempt at AI adaptation, as its premium “Private Call” feature drew criticism with its awkward AI-generated celebrity voice calls.

“We are now in an era where we have no choice but to coexist with AI, but the entertainment industry still lacks clear standards and procedures for adopting the technology,” said Lie Jae-won, a visiting professor of the Culture and Technology Department at Sungkyunkwan University and author of "AI and Idol."

As the K-pop scene actively monetizes artists' interaction with fans, AI adoption will continue to expand as part of its business model "to overcome limitations derived from the physical constraints of human idols," the professor noted, calling for greater awareness among both service suppliers and consumers.

"Artists' personas are shaped by a combination of their works, personal traits and the image fans project onto them," Lie said.

"It's crucial to carefully review the terms of contracts between idols and agencies, and I believe a sense of shared responsibility between artists and agencies as partners in building a persona from a long-term perspective is essential."

BY SHIN HA-NEE [shin.hanee@joongang.co.kr]