Crunchyroll accidentally exposes AI subtitle use with “ChatGPT said:” error

Crunchyroll accidentally left “ChatGPT said:” in the German subtitles of a new anime series, exposing the streaming service’s use of AI-generated translations. The embarrassing error appeared in the premiere episode of “Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show” and highlights ongoing quality concerns with the platform’s subtitle accuracy.

What you should know: The AI slipup occurred around the 19:12 mark in the German subtitles, where “ChatGPT said:” was left embedded in the dialogue.

• The error was still visible as of the morning after fans first spotted it on social media.
• This isn’t Crunchyroll’s first subtitle controversy — in late 2023, the service had to remove the first episode of “The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons” due to outrageously poor subtitle quality.
• Recent fan complaints suggest many errors stem from automated English closed captions that incorrectly transcribe character names or reference non-existent characters.

What they’re saying: Anime fans expressed significant frustration with the quality lapse.

• “This is not acceptable,” wrote a Bluesky user who flagged the AI usage. “How can we be expected to pay for a service that clearly doesn’t care about the quality of its products?”

The big picture: Crunchyroll’s CEO has sent mixed signals about the company’s AI strategy over the past year.

• In a 2024 interview with The Verge, CEO Rahul Purini said using AI for faster subtitle production was “definitely an area where we are focused on.”
• “AI is definitely something that we think about at a lot of different workflows within the organization,” Purini explained, specifically mentioning subtitle optimization to launch “as close to the Japanese release as possible.”
• However, by April 2024, Purini told Forbes that the company is “not considering AI in the creative process, including our voice actors.”

Why this matters: The incident undermines Crunchyroll’s credibility as fans already pay premium prices for quality anime content and accurate translations.

• Translation sources vary between production companies, license holders, and Crunchyroll’s own team, making accountability difficult to establish.
• The error suggests either poor quality control processes or continued reliance on AI tools despite public statements to the contrary.
• Fans who celebrated Purini’s April comments about avoiding AI may have declared victory prematurely.