[VIDEO] Netizens Are Amazed By AI-Generated Video Of Taylor Swift Speaking Mandarin
"The era of subtitles is over. AI allows foreigners to speak authentic Chinese."
By May Vin Ang — 30 Oct 2023, 06:08 PM
A very convincing video of Taylor Swift speaking fluent Mandarin has gone viral in China, sparking a discussion on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the dubbing of foreign TV shows
The video was made and uploaded by BiliBili user @johnhuu on the Chinese social media platform.
The user, who often explains and teaches English using scenes from popular American TV shows, wanted to demonstrate how AI could dub English shows into Mandarin without the use of translators and voice actors, making dialogue seem more natural on screen.
In the latest one-minute-and-25-second video, he shows how AI technology will not only translate the language of a scene, but will also clone the speaker's voice and accent, as well as alter the movement of the speaker's mouth to sync with the translated language.
He said AI-generated dubbing could prevent bad lip syncing, a common issue with traditional voice-over dubbing.
A screengrab of Taylor Swift speaking Mandarin in the AI-generated video.
Image via @johnhuu (Bilibili)He used interview clips of various famous celebrities and public figures, including Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, Emma Watson, and Rowan Atkinson, to demonstrate the technology
"I've been all over the place recently, like Italy, and France, and Japan," the 33-year-old American singer, Swift, can be heard convincingly saying in Mandarin, while the next clip shows her original interview in English on the talk show, Late Night with David Letterman.
The video also includes a clip of a Chinese talk show being translated into English, with the Chinese host speaking eloquent English in the AI-generated dub, showing the potential extensive use of AI to reach different audiences.
A screengrab of Rowan Atkinson speaking Mandarin in the AI-generated video.
Image via @johnhuu (Bilibili)The Bilibili video has been viewed over 2.3 million times since it was posted on 17 October, with netizens astounded by the technology
Some users expressed worry about the use of AI to spread disinformation, whereas others supported AI-dubbing for accessibility and universal viewership of TV shows.
The video has also been reposted on another Chinese social media platform, Weibo, where it has garnered 6.2 million views with mixed reactions.
"The era of subtitles is over. AI allows foreigners to speak authentic Chinese," said a Weibo user.
Another said, "The scariest thing is if someone uses this technology to make fake news, because AI can simulate a person's voice and mouth shape. It's really easy to fool people."
"Hurry! Someone translate the entirety of Game of Thrones into Mandarin for me! Ah, I want to watch it!" commented another netizen.
A survey by Ipsos found that while many Malaysians have a positive attitude towards AI and its associated services, there is also concern:
