The Japanese government will allocate 11.5 billion yen to expand anime globally, but requires the use of artificial intelligence in translations and subtitles. The measure aims to streamline mass content distribution, although it raises doubts about its accuracy. Services like Prime Video already show serious errors with this technology, which worries viewers who value the fidelity of the original dialogues.
AI errors that distort the original meaning 🤖
Artificial intelligence applied to subtitles has failed in cultural contexts and nuances of Japanese. On Prime Video, key phrases from popular series were translated literally or absurdly, changing the meaning of entire scenes. The problem is not technical, but one of comprehension: AI does not grasp irony, wordplay, or local references. Forcing its use in the expansion of anime could multiply these failures, sacrificing the audience's experience for production speed.
Subtitles that seem written by a drunk robot 🍜
Imagine watching a samurai saying I'm having a bad day, I need a coffee instead of his honor speech. With AI, that is possible. The government is betting on translating faster, but fans already fear that their favorite characters will sound like confused virtual assistants. Perhaps the next season of One Piece will include an arc where Luffy negotiates with a chatbot. At least, it would be entertaining for the wrong reasons.