Crunchyroll, a leading anime streaming platform, is venturing into the realm of generative AI to enhance its subtitling and closed captioning processes. In an interview with The Verge’s Decoder podcast, Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini confirmed that the company is testing the use of generative AI to optimize its processes and enable it to release subtitles in more languages closer to the Japanese release date of seasonal anime episodes. This technological exploration also extends to personalizing user experiences and discovering titles, with AI being tested in various workflows within the organization.
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While AI is not involved in the dubbing process at Crunchyroll, as their dubs are heavily localized adaptations, the company is exploring the use of generative AI to enhance personalization and discovery features for users. The potential of AI to create a more tailored and enjoyable experience is a key focus for Crunchyroll.
However, the implementation of AI in anime subtitles may not be without its challenges. Generative AI is known to be prone to inaccuracies, which could potentially impact the final product. In October 2023, Crunchyroll faced backlash when the first episode of The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons premiered with machine-translated English subtitles, riddled with inaccurate translations and grammatical errors. As a result, the episode was removed from streaming.
In other news, Crunchyroll has faced criticism following its decision to entirely absorb Funimation, a rival anime streaming service. After merging with Funimation three years ago, Crunchyroll raised prices and removed digital libraries from users, sparking widespread backlash. However, in response to the negative feedback, Crunchyroll is now working on compensating Funimation subscribers who have lost access to their digital libraries.
Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini addressed the situation, stating that the company is working hard to ensure affected customers receive appropriate value for their digital copies. This could involve providing access to a digital copy on other services or offering discounted access to Crunchyroll’s subscription service. Although formal plans have yet to be rolled out, Crunchyroll customer service is already receiving inquiries from affected users.
As Crunchyroll navigates the integration of AI into its processes and addresses the fallout from merging with Funimation, the company continues to strive for growth and improvement in the anime streaming landscape.
What do you think of Crunchyroll utilizing AI? Will Localizers get BTFO? Leave a comment and let us know.
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AI is not at the state where it can be fully automated. Manual human review is still required. Therefore, some woke fucktard could still fuck with it before the final product is out the door. The real solution is to start screening for and stop hiring these fucktards.
Or for the Japanese studios/companies to do it in-house.