Amazon Prime has joined the AI bandwagon and so far, it isn’t faring well. To be honest, anything AI has been met with contempt so far, be it AI-generated animation or songs. It is an insult to life itself, yes, but more than that it is a major disrespect to art, artists, and their laborious years.
Not to mention, this move has drawn flak from readers, viewers, artists and creators alike. The dubbing seems all too ideal and wishy-washy and does little to counter actual problems. I feel anime would do so much better without AI-generated dubs and here’s why.
Amazon Prime AI: Service or disservice ?
AI or Artificial Intelligence is something that is looked down upon by many in creative fields for various reasons. Be it an AI-generated essay or images, the medium is both a boon and a bane. While it eases the process, there is a huge amount of dependency that also comes at a cost of misinformation.
AI-generated images especially deepfakes is a growing concern and amounts to cyber crime. But what also has most artists worried is the copyright infringement associated with the technology. Some call it creativity, but it is theft in every sense.
To make things worse, some studios in the anime industry had probably one of the worst solutions to overworked animators. Yes, you guessed it right. It is AI-generated designs that, according to them, is the perfect fix for burnout. But what disappoints me more is the fact that lessons are never learnt.
This is true for Amazon Prime’s latest reveal about dubbing anime, which concerns me on most levels. I grew up watching dubbed versions of my favorite shows and switched to sub later on. Not to say I’m a sub loyalist but I live for well-done dubbed episodes but this move is questionable.
It affects the anime industry at large, especially the voice actors and the studios making series accessible to viewers worldwide. Language is powerful and translation bridges the gap between the medium and the people. It is also something AI cannot replicate due to mistranslation.
This is precisely why people choose manual translation over AI as it can be framed poorly. It is quite a common issue in anime and manga as well, which is why this move is a major disservice and a disrespect to artists. Precisely why I’d switch to subtitles and manual dubbing for the most part.
Subtitles and manual anime dubbing is the way to go
Interestingly, Amazon is prepping up to dub Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia along with the new Gundam series. It is a disgrace that Yoshiyuki Tomino’s opus would be reduced to a lifeless chatter. But the upside to this is that I can always turn to manual subtitles and dubs.
People don’t always understand the work that goes behind translation, be it interviews or episodes. Fandom is all about passion and love for the art itself and this move should only encourage artists to expand their horizons. For one thing, we know is true, no amount of technology can replicate human emotion.
Be it Aleks Le in Solo Leveling or Colleen Clinkenbeard in One Piece, dub artists have proven themself time and time again. Most dubs are indeed a hit or a miss, but it involves finding what reaches out to you. And that is exactly what AI lacks, the ability to wring out familiarity and emotions from viewers.
Be it anime, dub or sub, AI technology is detrimental to an artist’s career in the long run. It may make things easier but it comes with its share of disadvantages that most companies do not address properly. This move will only affect dub artists tremendously.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
