Amazon removes AI-generated animation dubs after uproar

Amazon has quietly removed the AI-generated English dubbing of several anime after days of vicious mockery. The voice actors and anime fans alike criticized it Banana fish, No Game No Life: Zeroand Vinland Saga The artificial intelligence claps and calls them “Soulless” “Disrespectful” and “Too bad.”

Clips of Amazon’s AI-generated animation dubbing have begun circulating on social media after they were added to Prime Video last month. Labeled “AI beta” within Prime Video’s audio language options, the AI-generated voices have gained significant attention and widespread ridicule for their flat and awkward delivery. Several voice actors have criticized Amazon’s AI dubbing, and the National Association of Voice Actors (NAVA) issued a statement calling them… “to decline.”

“I showed my 10-year-old the AI ​​clips Banana fish Wandering around the internet (it’s impossible to watch Prime again)” Written by Kara Edwardsa prolific American voice actor. “He cackled with laughter as he walked around unenthusiastically chanting, ‘No leader, no.’ This generation could be the best.” The room. “It’s very embarrassing.”

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Although using AI to dub any anime would not be well received, some found the decision to do so… Banana fish Particularly distasteful. Originally released in 2018, Banana fish is a widely acclaimed work and is considered influential in LGBTQ+ manga and anime. The 24-episode anime follows the relationship between teenage gang leader Ash Lynx and Japanese cameraman Eiji Okumura’s assistant in New York, originally portrayed by prolific Japanese voice actors Yuma Uchida and Kenji Nojima respectively.

Fans have long wished for it Banana fish It will eventually get an official English dub. Sadly, this is not quite what they envisioned.

“After years of fans hoping for an English dub for banana fish, Are you giving it to us as AI generated garbage? “It’s disrespectful as hell.” Voice actor Daman Mills posted on X. Mills previously worked on Amazon’s English dub of Evangelion films. “Is this weird trauma story being handed over to a machine because paying real actors is too difficult? Fix this, or I will never personally work with you as an actor again in any of your dubs. This is not ‘the future’. This is erasure.”

Banana fish “It is one of the most heart-wrenching romantic stories ever seen in anime.” Written by voice actor Jacob Hopkinswhere he shared a screenshot of himself canceling his Prime membership. “Amazon applying AI to English dubbing defeats the entire purpose. But of course they don’t care about the artistic sense. Boycott Prime,” Nove said.

while Banana fish It was the most famous victim of the AI ​​dub on Amazon, and unfortunately it wasn’t the only anime affected. No Game No Life: Zero and Vinland Saga It also received English dubs by AI, each as terrible as the last.

It is worth noting that, unlike… Banana fishboth titles already have an official English dub with a human voice. No Game No Life: Zero It has an English dub by Sentai Filmworks, while Vinland Saga It actually has two: one from Sentai Filmworks and one from Netflix.

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No game, no life It is the first anime dubbing I have ever participated in @amazon And he makes fun of him.” Written by voice actress Christina Kelly. “Please do not support artificial intelligence.”

“What hope does any aspiring voice actor have now?” Johnny Young Bush said, One of the most popular anime voice actors in the United States. “Amazon has deep resources and must do better. They are also dubbing titles using AI on titles that already have existing dubbing.”

Other voice actors have also expressed concerns about how exactly Amazon creates its AI dubbing.

“Hey, what dubbing was used to train the AI ​​for dubbing?” Brianna White posted, He is best known for voicing Aerith in Remake of Final Fantasy VII and New birth. “Just curious if the talented actors who were fed said AI without their knowledge or consent would receive any credit for their work? Any money for their work? Just curious.”

“Human dubbing requires skill, emotion, nuance, understanding and human experience to create a performance that audiences connect with and respect.” Nava wrote. “This AI dubbing shows how much skill and practice it takes to communicate through voice acting and how difficult it is to replicate the human experience.”

Amazon removed its AI-powered English dub amid the uproar, leaving English-speaking fans to either read subtitles or search for superior, man-made English dubs elsewhere.

However, the issue is still far from settled. Amazon has also created an AI dub for these series in Spanish, which is still available at the time of writing. Voice actors and fans are calling for this Spanish AI dub to be removed as well, criticizing the removal of the English dub only as a half-measure.

“[G]The voice actor wrote: “[ivetheSpanish-languageonethesametreatmentreleaseastatementaffirmingyoursupportforHUMANartistsandgivethesewonderfulshowstheadaptationstheydeserve”wrotevoiceactor[إذاتلقيتنفسالمعاملةمناللغةالإسبانية،فأصدربيانًايؤكددعمكللفنانينمنالبشروامنحهذهالعروضالرائعةالتعديلاتالتيتستحقها”[ivetheSpanish-languageonethesametreatmentreleaseastatementaffirmingyoursupportforHUMANartistsandgivethesewonderfulshowstheadaptationstheydeserve”wrotevoiceactorLandon McDonald.

“All dubbing should be AI.” Mills wrote. “It’s not just those who are currently under fire.”

This isn’t the first time Amazon has dabbled in AI-generated dubbing. A technology giant in the beginning announced its pilot program for artificial intelligence-generated dubbing In March of this year, starting with titles like MR: The legend and My mom, Laura. The result was similarly disappointing.

Amazon is relying heavily on generative AI this year. Last month I started Experimental testing of AI-generated video summaries For some Prime Video original series, complete with AI-generated voiceover. In May, Amazon launched audio summaries of AI-generated products for sale on its online marketplace.

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