AI won’t be used in voice acting either.
The CEO of Crunchyroll Rahul Purini recently opened up about the company’s plan to globalise anime for a larger fan base. The Forbes interview also included talks about AI and how the platform plans to use it. Purini confirmed that they don’t have any plans to use AI in the creative process of future anime projects, including in voice acting. This seems to be a complete 180 from the studio’s previous plans of trying AI for their closed caption and subtitling process.
Crunchyroll CEO opens up about their strategy for using AI
Purini discussed that Crunchyroll plans to explore new markets and models to keep up with the other media giants, who are also now streaming anime. When asked about the usage of AI, he said that the company stands with creators from Japan and everywhere else in the world.
Purini commented, “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.” He assured that they don’t plan to bring AI into the creative process at all.
However, he acknowledged that the platform is looking into AI and Machine Learning models to use in the backend. This is solely to improve the content discoverability, personalisation, and recommendation. It will refine the overall user experience without diluting the authenticity of the actual programme. In the last few years, especially after its acquisition by Sony, Crunchyroll has emerged as the leading global anime platform. It has over 1000 shows in its roster and promises to improve the experience of millions of viewers worldwide.
The company's previous comment about using AI in subtitles angered fans, but it seems that it has no intention of using AI in the actual creative process.
