AI Voice Actors Silenced: Amazon Yanks Controversial Anime Dubs
A new feature on Amazon's streaming service sparked immediate controversy among anime fans. When viewers discovered that beloved shows were being dubbed with artificial intelligence, the reaction was swift. Now, the company has taken action, but the story is far from over, especially with studios claiming they were left in the dark.
In a move that has caught the attention of the animation community, Amazon has quietly backtracked on a recent experiment with artificial intelligence. Viewers of popular animated programs on the Prime Video service recently discovered a peculiar new audio choice labeled 'English [AI beta]' for several high-profile titles, including Banana Fish, Pet, and the film No Game, No Life Zero. This option featured dialogue performed entirely by computer-generated voices, a development that was met with widespread criticism from audiences who value the craft of human voice acting.
An Abrupt Removal
The backlash appears to have been effective. As of December 1, the AI-generated audio tracks for the aforementioned shows have been completely scrubbed from the platform. This sudden reversal has left these specific titles without any English language option at all, reverting them to their original Japanese audio with subtitles. The removal wasn't a platform-wide purge of the technology, however.
Interestingly, an AI-powered Latin American Spanish track for the historical epic The Vinland Saga remains accessible to subscribers. This inconsistency suggests that the decision to pull the English versions was targeted, likely a direct response to the negative feedback and the specific circumstances surrounding those productions. For now, fans of the affected series are left waiting to see if a professionally recorded human dub will ever be made available.
Studios Respond with Surprise
The situation grew more complex as the Japanese studios behind the anime began to weigh in. When contacted by Anime News Network for comment, their responses indicated they were just as surprised as the fans. Representatives from Aniplex, Kadokawa, and Sentai Filmworks all addressed the unnanounced feature, revealing a significant disconnect between the content creators and the streaming giant.
Kadokawa's statement was particularly blunt, asserting that no AI dub was approved "in any form." Similarly, Sentai Filmworks claimed they were "not aware in advance" of the synthetic voice track being added to their property. The company further stated that it is now actively investigating the matter directly with Amazon to understand how this unapproved version was created and distributed on the platform without their knowledge or consent.