The human voice loses ground and automatic dubbing with AI makes its way between creators

Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to gain space in unthinkable sectors just a few years ago. What began revolutionizing software development is now leaving a mark on very different fields. The phenomenon of ‘Vibe Coding‘, a new way of programming based on Prompts In natural language, without writing code as such, the rules of development are changing. At the same time, tools such as Dall · e of OpenAi or Adobe Firefly They are redefining visual creation, allowing generating images and videos from textual descriptions.

And now, AI also reaches voice professionals. For a few months, YouTube allows some creators to use automatic dubbing through AI. This function, which is being deployed progressively, is now available for all members of the YouTube Partner Programa system that allows creators to monetize their contents on the platform. Thanks to this tool, videos can reach global audiences more easily, as an alternative to traditional dubbing and postproduction processes.

An activated function by default. One of the most striking changes is that this function is activated by default: if you upload an English video, YouTube will automatically double it in several languages, including Spanish, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese and Portuguese. If the video is in any of those languages, an English version will be generated. The objective, according to the company, is to “break the barriers of the language.”

But if the creator prefers not to use this function, it can deactivate it following concrete steps: enter YouTube Studio from the computer and follow this route: Configuration > Subsequent adjustments > Advanced configuration. There you have to uncheck the ‘allow automatic dubbing’ box and click on store. The management of this function, in addition, can only be done from YouTube Studio on a computer, and allows you to even manually review dubbing before publishing them if you want greater control of the result.

YouTube admits that technology still has improvement margin. Translations may not be exact and the generated voice may not faithfully represent the author. In fact, the company itself recognizes that intonation, emotional tone and certain cultural nuances do not always move correctly. The basis of this function is in the technology of Google Deepmind And Google Translate, but even with that background infrastructure, not all videos can be folded successfully. Factors such as the original accent, the background noise, the use of jargon or even proper names can affect the quality of dubbing.

A video with automatic YouTube dubbing

To know if a video is bent with AI, it is enough to look for the “auto-dubbed” label. It is also possible to change audio track from the player’s menu, through the gear icon in the lower right corner. The language adapts to that the user has configured as preferential, which makes the experience, in many cases, more transparent. We can see the active function in this example video.

The prelude: real dubbing with professional actors. YouTube had already taken previous steps in this direction. With the function “Add audio track“, Some creators like Mrbeast They began to offer versions of their videos in several languages using professional voice actors. He even counted With the dubbing actress that plays Naruto in his videos in Japanese. This strategy, focused on expanding the scope of the content without losing interpretive quality, allowed many of these videos to reach new audiences.

Mrbeast has not been the only. According to YouTube datathe videos that offered versions in several languages ​​made more than 15% of the visualization time come from audiences that saw the content in a language other than the original. In January 2023, users came to consume more than 2 million hours of folded content every day. And that only with the initial tests.

The extension of this function to all members of the Partner Program is contributing to the growth of the use of voices generated by artificial intelligence on the platform. This raises questions about how this technology will be integrated into the professional dubbing ecosystem.

Some creators could opt for this automatic alternative in certain types of content, especially in informative or structured pieces. However, in other formats where vocal interpretation provides key nuances, the role of dubbing professionals remains a difficult element to replace. Development continues, and the balance between technology and creativity is still evolving.

Images | Lorenzi | YouTube screen capture

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