YouTube has begun to introduce a cutting-edge AI-driven translation feature for its creators, designed to automatically re-voice videos into one of nine different languages while maintaining the original speaker’s tone.
An update from X user @levelsio highlighted that “YouTube will now automatically dub videos in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Hindi, Indonesian, and Japanese,” employing artificial intelligence to translate the language while keeping the original voice intact.
This innovative capability will be rolled out to creators over the coming weeks, focusing initially on new content rather than existing videos.
Although we’ve discussed podcasts, it’s first arriving on YouTube:
YouTube will now automatically dub videos in English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French, Italian, Hindi, Indonesian, and Japanese.
The dubbing utilizes AI to preserve the original voice while changing the language (similar to @lexfridman‘s podcast… https://t.co/1awdnDF8lk pic.twitter.com/KhelUxtLZL)
— @levelsio (@levelsio) November 21, 2024
This auto-dubbing feature was initially revealed in September during YouTube’s “Made on YouTube” event. A representative from YouTube stated, “We’ll be expanding our AI-powered dubbing tool, previously named ‘Aloud,’ to hundreds of thousands of creators in the upcoming months,” with plans to include more languages beyond just English, Spanish, and Portuguese available for beta testers. Creators will have their videos dubbed automatically upon upload, with the option to opt out if they choose.
YouTube’s advancements in AI translation are part of a broader trend in the tech industry. In 2023, Spotify introduced a similar feature that aims to create a more natural and engaging listening experience than traditional dubbing methods.
Initially, Spotify limited its account to English and Spanish translations but has since expanded to include French and German. Meanwhile, Meta has unveiled a “universal language translator” named SeamlessM4T, capable of translating between over 100 languages and even performing text-to-voice and text-to-text conversions.
These developments in AI translation technology are set to help content creators connect with international audiences that may have been previously inaccessible. However, there are potential pitfalls, as AI may occasionally misinterpret content, leading to errors that may only be discovered after public feedback surfaces.
