Amazon’s localisation strategy has hit the headlines again after they listed a Creative Director Dubbing role on January 17th, only to remove it within 24 hours.
While the company didn’t offer an explanation, the listing drew lots of attention online, with many interpreting it as a sign Amazon was continuing to explore AI dubbing despite previous criticism.
The job description outlined a senior creative role responsible for shaping Amazon’s approach to AI-assisted dubbing.
The position would have overseen the development of hybrid workflows combining AI efficiency with human creative input, ensuring emotional nuance, cultural relevance and quality standards were maintained across dubbed content.
Responsibilities included:
The role also focused on scaling AI dubbing across additional languages and content types, positioning AI as a core part of Prime Video’s global localisation strategy.
Amazon’s listing drew fairly immediate criticism online.
Many observers interpreted it as a signal that the company was “doubling down” on using AI in localisation, following substantial backlash to its AI-generated anime dubs in late 2025.
This earlier experiment had faced pushback from both voice actors and fans alike, who cited concerns about quality and the potential displacement of human talent in a niche known for its passionate fans.
The removal of the posting within 24 hours fueled further speculation - some online commenters celebrated the withdrawal, while others viewed it as more indicative of reputation management rather than a change in strategy.
The reaction to Amazon’s AI dubbing experiment highlights a key tension in localisation: resistance is rarely solely from scepticism about automation, but from replacing creative expertise with something that feels worse. In dubbing, where timing, delivery and emotional nuance are vital, trust in the creative process is part of the final product.
Moves that signal an “all-in” AI strategy without clear human oversight risk undermining that trust, no matter how efficient the underlying technology may be.
ICS-translate Senior Translation Manager, Chiara Salvi noted: "AI can be a powerful tool in localisation, but audiences don't judge its efficiency - they judge its performance. In anime especially, dubbing succeeds or fails on emotional credibility, and that's something associated with human judgment and expertise. Any successful AI integration has to assist creative professionals’ work, not shortcut it."
AI can play a clear role to play in supporting workflows, be it in streamlining workflows, automating QA and/or pre-processing tasks, but it works best when it amplifies human creativity rather than substitutes it.
Hybrid approaches allow brands to scale content globally while keeping the qualities that make it resonate locally: cultural nuance, emotional impact, and audience trust.
ICS Market Growth Manager, Matteo Fabiano added: “When companies start scaling AI-enabled localisation, they also run into risks associated with the perception of AI usage itself.
We’ve already seen this play out with brands like Duolingo and Klarna, where AI-first announcements sparked backlash due to general mistrust for AI tools, often leading to a worse service overall, perceived job cuts and poor communication.
Ultimately, audiences judge the final product, not the process, but they have a keen instinct for when something feels off.
That’s why human-led quality control isn’t just about creative judgement — it’s about ensuring audience trust, and why AI works best behind the scenes, supporting preparation and QA rather than replacing linguistic expertise.”
The lesson is simple: efficiency alone isn’t enough. Thoughtful AI integration can accelerate localisation, but success depends on where it is applied, how it is managed, and how it complements human expertise. Getting that balance right is what separates innovation from disruption.
