Amazon Prime Video, a major player in the streaming world with a growing focus on anime, has launched a pilot program using artificial intelligence (AI) for dubbing licensed TV series and movies.
Amazon recently announced the AI dubbing initiative for their Prime Video service. The goal is to “help you enjoy titles that previously did not have dubbing available in select countries and territories” and also to make content that “would not have been dubbed otherwise” accessible.
The pilot project is starting with English and Latin American Spanish dubs for 12 licensed titles, which include series and movies like El Cid: La Leyenda, Mi Mamá Lora, and Long Lost.
“At Prime Video, we believe in improving customers’ experience with practical and useful AI innovation,” explained Raf Soltanovich, Vice President of Technology at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “AI-aided dubbing is only available on titles that do not have dubbing support, and we are eager to explore a new way to make series and movies more accessible and enjoyable.”
Amazon states that localization professionals will collaborate with AI to ensure quality control. They added that “AI-aided processes like this one, which incorporate the right amount of human expertise, can enable localization for titles that would not otherwise be accessible to customers.”
While the success of this pilot program is still uncertain, it is unclear whether this will be implemented for anime titles. Many of these titles often do not have English dubs.
Amazon Prime Video holds a strong position in the anime streaming market, ranking fourth in Parrot Analytics’ 2023 estimated global anime streaming revenue, ahead of Disney+ and Max. The service is also very popular in the U.S.
In 2023, Polygon conducted a survey to ascertain where Gen Z and Millennials – who make up the majority of U.S. anime viewers – consume their anime. Amazon secured the third spot, narrowly behind Hulu and ahead of Crunchyroll, Max, Funimation, Tubi, VRV, and HIDIVE. Its anime catalog boasts numerous popular titles, like My Hero Academia, Jujutsu Kaisen, and the Rebuild of Evangelion tetralogy. Recently, Amazon acquired exclusive global streaming rights to the Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX TV series.
The introduction of AI-driven dubbing raises questions, with potential opposition. While significant improvements have been made, English dubs have dealt with criticisms related to voice-acting quality and scripts. Despite this, streaming services continue to face critcism for subtitle accuracy.
Some critics suggest that more human resources, better synchronization with Japanese schedules, promotion of remote options would be an improvement. Meanwhile, proponents highlight anime’s recent expansion as a reason for AI to lower costs and increase access, even with some quality concerns.
Ultimately, the aim is likely to balance accessibility and cost, given anime’s historical struggle with tight margins.
