Amazon Prime Video is putting AI lip-sync on its most-watched international series
Key Points
- Prime Video now syncs actors' lip movements to dubbed audio using AI and VFX
- The feature launched on Maxton Hall Seasons 1 and 2 in English on 9 September
- Season 3 of Maxton Hall arrives with lip-sync dubs on 9 December
- Dubbed voices are still recorded by human actors; the AI alters the picture
- Amazon plans to expand the technology to more titles
Amazon has started using AI to match actors’ mouth movements to dubbed dialogue on Prime Video, beginning with Maxton Hall, its most-watched International Original series to date.
Amazon announced the feature on its About Amazon news site on Wednesday (9 September). The technology synchronises actors’ lip movements with human-dubbed audio so that the mouths on screen stop moving when the dialogue does.
The lip-synced English dubs are available from Wednesday (9 September) on Maxton Hall Seasons 1 and 2 in every market where Prime Video operates. They will also be included when the third and final season arrives exclusively on Prime Video on 9 December.
Season 3 adapts Save Me, the 2018 novel by German author Mona Kasten. The German-language drama has become the streaming service’s biggest international original since its debut.
Amazon said the process uses a combination of AI and VFX tools, and that the dubbed voices themselves are still recorded by human actors. The AI element alters the picture rather than the sound, reshaping the on-screen mouth movements to fit the new language track.
“With lip-syncing, we’re creating a more seamless and immersive way for customers to enjoy global content,” said Raf Soltanovich, vice president of technology at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “And for creators, we’re making it easier for their stories to reach an even broader and global audience, all done under creative oversight to ensure the integrity of their artistic vision is preserved.”
Amazon said it plans to roll the technology out to more titles on the service, without naming them or giving a timeline. It added that it continues to test applications of AI on Prime Video where the customer is at the centre and creators retain control.
The announcement follows comments from Amazon chief executive Andy Jassy to shareholders that the Prime Video business is growing and profitable, with original films, live sports and streaming partnerships driving momentum.
