Overview

• Fans discovered on July 1 that Crunchyroll used ChatGPT to generate German subtitles for Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show, with an on-screen tag reading “ChatGPT said.”
• The covert AI deployment contradicts President Rahul Purini’s April statement that the company was “not considering AI in the creative process.”
• Independent checks found multiple translation errors in English subtitles, indicating broader unedited use of generative AI tools.
• Subscribers voiced anger over poor subtitle quality and some are switching to unofficial fansubs as confidence in the service wanes.
• Crunchyroll has not responded to requests for comment, leaving the extent of AI use across its catalog unclear.