Author: Alyssa Mercante

Halfway through 2026, the state of streaming underlines just how dependent the category has become on big, personality-driven creators. 

Streaming platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming were designed to showcase video games, but they’ve become a major spoke in the broader creator economy wheel. 

According to a Q1 2026 study from streaming software company Streamlabs and data analytics company Stream Hatchet, “Just Chatting” is now the most-watched category across the major streaming platforms. The non-gaming category, where streamers talk directly to viewers, has been boosted by creators who bring their audience with them for IRL streams, chat about their lives from home, or recap breaking news from behind a desks. 

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Marketers have been trying to game LLM responses to suit their brands since users began turning to AI for search.

In recent months, they’ve become aware that AI search responses aren’t just a user touchpoint that needs attention, but a competitive arena in which they might influence the way their rivals are perceived — and have to guard against their rivals doing the same to them.

Despite the well-publicized issues with AI hallucinations and bias, web users tend to perceive AI results as neutral. When a response supplies positive information about a brand, that works in marketers’ favor. When an AI Overview or ChatGPT response goes in the other direction, it can become a serious problem for a brand.

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