YouTube gets an AI feature that's actually useful

Key Takeaways

YouTube’s new auto dubbing feature translate and dubs videos in various languages.
The dubbed voice sounds very AI-like and the feature mostly works well for narration videos.
YouTube acknowledges the technology is new and may not always be perfect, but is working on improving translation and voice matching.

Last year, YouTube revealed it was working on an AI-powered dubbing service that would automatically translate and dub videos on the platform. That service has finally arrived.

YouTube has announced that its auto dubbing feature has gone live today for creators in the YouTube Partner Program who are focused on knowledge and information content. If a video is in English, it can be dubbed into French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. If a video is any of those languages listed, it can be dubbed in English.

“It’s now easier than ever to connect with creators and content from all over the world even if you don’t speak the language, thanks to YouTube’s new auto dubbing feature,” YouTube said in a blog post.

YouTube

Premium Subscription: Yes, $13.99 per month
Originals: No
Live TV: No

Here’s why your YouTube app might look a little different today

YouTube is rolling out new features on the app, as well a visual refresh including a translucent bottom bar and revamped miniplayer.

Auto dubbing’s voice sounds very much like AI

The dubbed examples YouTube provided were narration videos not over someone talking

YouTube

YouTube shared three examples of auto-dubbing in action — a video originally in French, English, and Hindi. I tried watching the video in French auto-dubbed into English, and it was not that bad. The dub voice is very AI-sounding, but the translation seemed solid and understandable. The dub was also over a video that relied on narration, not someone talking, so it will be interesting to see how the auto-dubbing works over someone who is speaking.

YouTube said in its blog post that the “technology is still pretty new” and that “it won’t always be perfect.” The company says it is working to improve the auto dubbing’s translation and voice to match the original speaker. YouTuber partners can check to see if it’s available for their channel by looking under Advanced Settings in YouTube Studio.

Viewers on YouTube will see a label on a video in the description if it has been auto-dubbed by AI. You can use the track selector in the video settings to select the language of the video if you want to hear it in its original language or other available languages. So far, based on the videos released, the feature still needs some tuning. Still, nonetheless, this feature is nice to see and is a step forward in making more YouTube videos accessible to everyone, regardless of language.