Amazon has recently announced a groundbreaking move in the film industry by incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) for dubbing purposes. Instead of traditional human actors, AI will be used to dub films and series available on its streaming platform Prime Video.

This initiative aims to increase accessibility to a wider audience by providing dubbed content that might otherwise remain undubbed.

A batch of 12 films and series, including titles such as "Mi Mama Lora" (2016), "Long Lost" (2018), and the animated feature film "La leggenda di El Cid" (2003), are slated for the Latin American market in this AI-based dubbing experiment.

The Shift towards AI in Dubbing Industry

YouTube paved the way for AI-driven dubbing by allowing content creators to automatically dub their videos into various languages using AI technology. This step towards automated dubbing has now been embraced by Amazon, albeit with stringent quality control measures.

While some professionals will supervise and ensure the quality of the AI-generated dubbing before it goes live, the process marks a significant departure from traditional dubbing practices.

Proponents of AI-driven dubbing argue that this technology enhances multilingual accessibility for films with niche audiences that may not justify the costs of human dubbing. On the other hand, critics caution about the implications of AI on the global dubbing industry, raising concerns about potential threats posed by the widespread adoption of AI in this sector.

Innovations and Controversies in AI Dubbing

Several startups have ventured into the AI dubbing space, offering successful products like DeepDub, which can even adjust the character's accent in different languages. This innovative approach has garnered attention and sparked debates within the entertainment industry.

An incident involving the AI-based dubbing of the film "Armor," starring Sylvester Stallone, for the French audience on Prime Video raised eyebrows in the French dubbing community. The AI-generated French voice for Stallone, replicating the deceased voice actor Alain Dorval who had lent his voice for Stallone in numerous films before his passing in February 2024, stirred controversy and discontent among traditional dubbing professionals in France.

In the evolving landscape of the entertainment industry, the integration of AI in dubbing processes poses both opportunities and challenges, reshaping the way content is localized and made accessible to diverse audiences around the globe.