Crunchyroll’s AI experiment hit a snag last year. President Rahul Purini hinted at generative AI subtitling to The Verge, but shortly after, viewers slammed the debut of “The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons” for laughably bad subtitles, forcing a temporary takedown. The incident suggests Crunchyroll’s AI subtitling is still a work in progress.
The translation was a train wreck, a garbled mess of missing commas and sentences that went nowhere. Whispers of AI translation circulated among fans, a desperate explanation for the sheer incomprehensibility. But recently, those whispers turned into shouts. Eagle-eyed viewers spotted telltale signs of ChatGPT’s cold, robotic hand in the subtitles of a new anime episode, reigniting the debate: Has artificial intelligence replaced human translators, for better or, more likely, for much, much worse?
Igor Bonifacic for Engadget
Crunchyroll’s new anime series, “Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show,” has been unearthed, but not for the reasons they hoped. A glitch in the matrix – or rather, in the German subtitles – has fans scratching their heads. Bluesky user Pixel discovered the unthinkable on July 1st: during a crucial scene in the debut episode, the subtitles boldly declared, “ChatGPT said…” It’s not just a typo; Engadget confirmed the AI ghostwriting. And if you think English speakers are safe, think again. The English subtitles, as the screenshots reveal, are equally cursed.
Crunchyroll has discovered a third-party vendor used AI-generated subtitles in breach of their agreement, a spokesperson revealed to Engadget. The anime giant is now investigating and scrambling to fix the situation.
Crunchyroll’s $8 subscription is under fire. A user named Pixel ignited a firestorm, decrying the platform’s subtitle quality with the statement, “This is not acceptable. How can we be expected to pay for a service that clearly doesn’t care about the quality of its products?” The post, quoted over 300 times and shared by thousands, reflects widespread discontent. Many are abandoning the official stream, driven to “unwatchable” AI-generated translations, choosing illicit fansubs instead. Reddit echoes the sentiment: Sony’s anime giant is facing a rebellion.
Crunchyroll
Crunchyroll’s anti-piracy strategy takes a surprising turn: generative AI. Purini argues that by using AI to create near-instant subtitles, they can shrink the window between Japanese airings and official translated streams. His logic? Close that gap, and you steal the pirates’ thunder, giving fans less reason to seek out unauthorized torrents.
Update 3:58PM ET : Added comment from Crunchyroll.
Got a scoop for Igor? Light up his inbox, catch him on Bluesky, or whisper secrets via Signal at @Kodachrome.72 – all channels open for confidential chatter.
Thanks for reading Crunchyroll blames third-party vendor for AI subtitle mess
