Was it not already enough? Now, even Netflix has stooped to this level – but for what reason? What do they gain from it except widespread hatred? Is it solely because using AI in such works reduces their workload and eliminates the need to pay voice actors? This is still absolutely unacceptable.
We are still in the midst of an already soaring controversy regarding Studio Ghibli AI art spreading across the internet, and now this! What’s left for animators to do?
According to recent reports, Netflix officially posted a job listing for recruits who will learn machine learning, which will eventually assist in anime dubbing and subtitling. Here’s what you need to know about this heartbreaking piece of information.
Netflix is risking its reputation by trying to incorporate AI for creating anime subtitles and dubs!
How can people already forget about the SAG-AFTRA (American labor unions: Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists) strike? The way Netflix blatantly posted this job opportunity, it’s as if the SAG-AFTRA strikes never existed at all.
The world felt the need for voice actors when the strike started, as many anime and even games, like Hoyoverse’s multiple characters, were seen to have no voice at all because the voice actors were on strike. This made us realize their value like never before and reminded us how beautifully they’ve been serving us all this time.
For this, the industry suffered financial losses and job cuts, however, the strikes secured significant contract changes, including AI safeguards and better pay, so it can be said that it was a successful strike.
But now, it looks like Netflix is taking AI to the next level. Their latest job posting reveals plans to use AI for subtitling and dubbing, which would be absolutely devastating for the industry. But that’s not all – they’re also exploring other AI use cases to stay ahead of the curve! In fact, the job description explicitly mentioned,
We are looking for an experienced Research Scientist with established track records in generative speech technologies to develop algorithms that power high quality localization at scale.
We just got to know that in a joint project with some top universities, including Stony Brook, Maryland, and Stanford, Netflix is funding research into generative AI video models. The goal of this collaboration is to create an advanced AI model, “Go-with-the-Flow”, which will revolutionize the future of AI-powered video content. (Source: Netflix Jobs)
The consequences that it’ll bring forth once AI becomes an irreplaceable part of the industry
What these voice actors have done so far means a lot, and simply replacing them with AI now will be an insult to their art and efforts. For all these years, we have grown to love and care for each of our favorite voice actors, and their voices alone have shaped our childhood and, for many of us, even our adulthood.
It’s not just the main cast that matters; every single character in a series or film deserves an equal amount of care, and that’s how it has long been. But with this recent AI ruckus, those good old days might just be ending now, which is hard to simply accept and let happen.
This is not only restricted to dubbing, however, as even AI subtitling would also affect a massive number of jobs. Moreover, other than Netflix, other streaming sites are also experimenting with such AI models. This is indeed a tough time to live, and it seems the dark era of AI is already upon us. Even if AI gets to the point where it sounds exactly as good as or better than human voice acting, it still won’t sway us from hating on it.
People’s passion should be respected over the work of technology any day, which is what makes us human, after all.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
