Crunchyroll execs respond to AI subtitle controversy and the Funimation merger

polygon.com:

In a recent interview with The Verge’s Decoder podcast, Crunchyroll president Rahul Purini revealed that the anime-focused streaming service was experimenting with implementing AI-generated subtitles for the service’s library of titles. Purini’s proposition was that AI could expedite the workflow of subtitling and closed captioning in order to launch episodes “as close to the Japanese release as possible” for worldwide anime fans.

Crunchyroll, which was acquired by Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. in 2021 and subsequently merged with Funimation in 2022, is arguably the largest streaming service dedicated primarily to Japanese animation. As of this past January, the post-merger subscriber base comes in at over 13 million. That market share combined with Purini’s vision for potential implementation of AI subtitles prompted some anime fans and media commentators to voice concern.

The core argument: AI technology is nowhere near sophisticated enough to adequately translate the nuances of Japanese speech and text. Then there’s the concern for how such AI would impact human translators and localization teams whose work forms the bedrock of simulcasting and simuldubbing anime.

Polygon spoke with Purini and Crunchyroll COO Gita Rebbapragada at the 2024 Crunchyroll Anime Awards to discuss the controversy and how Crunchyroll is considering the red flags from its audience.

“We hear all of those concerns,” Rebbapragada told Polygon. “The two things we are solving for are: We want to provide a meaningful viable alternative to piracy [and] we want to share in success with the creators and our partners. When the content is pirated, we are unable to share in that success with them and that is something that’s very important to us.

“We have to look at what technologies exist and how to deliver the best fan experience and the best ability to combat piracy. We’re not different in that many companies are exploring this, and many pirate sites are exploring this. Now, having said that,