President of Crunchyroll Rahul Purini says the site will not use AI in any way during the creative process of making content.
"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," said Purini in an interview with Forbes. The Crunchyroll President added that the site stands with creators both in Japan and everywhere else in striving to maintain authenticity in production.
With the ever-growing acceleration in AI technology, conversations about its use in the industry are ever-present and can be a concern to both viewers and creatives. We have already seen AI used in anime with the addition of anime illustration sites popping up, and the news that a 95% AI-generated animated show is on the way from Kaka Technology Studio.
However, Purini explained that the site will be working with AI in other ways, explaining that Crunchyroll is looking at using AI to improve how users find content, get recommendations, and receive a more personalized experience. But Purini made it clear that this is all to improve customer service and experience, but AI will not touch the content itself.
Launching in 2017, Crunchyroll has become the most popular place to stream anime content. What first started out as an ad-free subscription-based anime streaming site, Crunchyroll now offers ad-supported tiers, so that viewers can watch "a limited portion" of content for free. The site is home to a host of great anime shows and movies such as Cowboy Bebop and My Hero Academia.
For more, check out our list of the best anime, or keep up with new anime heading your way this year.
