Crunchyroll has run headfirst into drama recently as anime fans have noticed a change when it comes to the anime streaming service’s subtitles. Subscribers have been expressing their surprise at some of the differences regarding the new shift, and the platform recently released an official statement on the matter. While some anime enthusiasts believed that the changes made were thanks to the implementation of artificial intelligence or the use of a new subtitling company, Crunchyroll confirmed that there was a different reason for the subtitle problems.
In a recent statement from Crunchyroll released to Anime News Network, the streaming service stated, “Over the past few days, some users experienced delays in accessing the content they wanted and subtitle issues across certain series. These were caused by internal system problems — not by any change in how we create subtitles, use of new vendors or AI. Those internal issues have now been fully resolved. Quality subtitles are a core part of what makes watching anime on Crunchyroll so special. They connect global fans to the heart of every story, and we take that responsibility seriously. Thank you for your patience. We’re committed to continuing to deliver the authenticity, quality, and care that fans deserve.”
Crunchyroll’s Previous A.I. Drama
Earlier this year, Crunchyroll CEO Rahul Purini confirmed that the streaming service would not be implementing artificial intelligence for subtitles in speaking with Forbes, “We are not considering AI in the creative process, including our voice actors. We consider them to be creators because they are contributing to the story and plot with their voice.” Forbes added that Crunchyroll stands with creators “striving to maintain authenticity in production” and will use AI and machine learning for its “back-end systems to improve content discoverability, recommendations, and personalization, but only as ways to improve the customer experience and not touching on the content itself.”
The anime community, understandably, hasn’t been the biggest fans of A.I. in recent years. In response to protect the medium’s creators, Japan saw the Nippon Anime and Film Culture Association share a declaration of their thoughts regarding the technology, “We [the NAFCA] feel it will be very difficult in the future to bring fair revenue to creators when projects are being created through the use of generative AI,” the note reads. “For instance, if an AI generates a character with the head of Doraemon, the body of a Gundam, and the voice of Son Goku… If that creation is made with the thought it can be used freely so long as we hand over the required revenue, we’re not interested. Even if a character created using 100 others were to make a ton of profit, there is no good mechanism of sharing profit and approval with the creators of those 100 said characters.”
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