Amazon Prime Video tests AI-assisted dubbing

Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service announced it will begin testing AI-assisted dubbing.

Amazon's Prime Video streaming service announced Wednesday it will begin testing AI-assisted dubbing to make its international content more accessible to viewers worldwide.

The pilot programme will initially feature 12 licensed movies and series that previously lacked dubbing support, including titles such as "El Cid: La Leyenda," "Mi Mamá Lora," and "Long Lost."

The service will launch with English and Latin American Spanish dubbing options.

"At Prime Video, we believe in improving customers' experience with practical and useful AI innovation," said Raf Soltanovich, VP of technology at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios.

"AI-aided dubbing is only available on titles that do not have dubbing support, and we are eager to explore a new way to make series and movies more accessible and enjoyable."

The developments came as union leaders in the creative industries bill AI as an existential crisis for artists, who worry that their livelihoods will be wiped out by the technology.

The role of AI was a major factor in the 2023 Hollywood strikes by actors and writers who feared that studios would use generative AI to perform tasks typically done by paid creatives.