ChatGPT Subtitle Disaster Hits Crunchyroll, AI-Powered Anime Translation Goes Hilariously Wrong

The world of anime translation just got a dose of unexpected comedy, thanks to an AI-powered mishap at Crunchyroll. What happens when cutting-edge language models meet beloved Japanese animation? Apparently, a whole lot of hilarious mistakes.

In 2024, Crunchyroll President Rahul Purini informed The Verge that the company was 'very focused on testing' generative AI tools for creating subtitles and captions from speech. This statement followed just months after the streaming service temporarily removed the first episode of its new series, The Yuzuki Family's Four Sons, due to audience complaints regarding the poor quality of its subtitles.

AI Goes Rogue: 'ChatGPT Said...'

Many translations were incomprehensible, with numerous sentences lacking proper punctuation. At the time, some fans suspected the company had used AI for the episode's translation. Earlier this week, fresh allegations of AI involvement surfaced when an episode of a new anime displayed clear signs that ChatGPT had been used to generate its subtitles.

On 1st July, Bluesky user Pixel noticed a problem with the German subtitles for Necronomico and The Cosmic Horror Show, one of the new series that Crunchyroll is streaming this anime season. Besides being generally messy, a key line in the show's first episode began with 'ChatGPT said....'

Unacceptable Quality for Paying Fans

Engadget was able to verify independently that the episode featured the AI-generated translation. Notably, the English subtitles aren't much better. The Verge pointed out that while subtitle errors aren't new, lines such as 'Is gameorver. if you fall, you are out,' represents a completely different level of poor quality.

A Crunchyroll spokesperson informed Engadget that they 'were made aware that AI-generated subtitles were employed by a third-party vendor, which is in violation of our agreement.' They added that they 'are investigating the matter and are working to rectify the error.'

Community Backlash and Piracy Concerns

Understandably, people were upset about the subtitles. Crunchyroll subscriptions begin at $8 (£5.86) per month, and since Sony acquired it, the service has become the leading force in the anime streaming market outside of Japan.

'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?' wrote Pixel in their original post. The post has been quoted over 300 times and reposted by thousands of others.

Many fans say they're now turning to torrented fansubs, calling the official AI-generated translations 'unwatchable'. People on Reddit have voiced similar frustrations.

Ironically, Purini mentioned that a key reason for Crunchyroll's generative AI subtitle testing was to combat piracy. He believed this technology would enable the company to stream new, translated anime episodes almost immediately after their Japanese debut, noting that delays in official releases sometimes led fans to torrent shows.

The Indispensable Role of Human Translators

Crunchyroll has not yet disclosed how the subtitles for Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show are created or what measures the company implements to prevent such errors from appearing in its content.

This entire situation highlights the crucial role translators and localisation teams play in creating high-quality art for a global audience. It also highlights the risks associated with the entertainment industry's rapid adoption of generative AI, particularly when it threatens the livelihoods of real people.