Prime Video reshapes the mouth

Amazon announced an AI feature that redraws actors' lip movements so they match a dubbed audio track instead of the original performance.

“Amazon is catapulting us into the final boss of sub vs dub debates.”

One show, for now

The lip syncing launches only on the English dub of the German series "Maxton Hall." Amazon says more titles will follow.

Amazon's pitch

Prime Video technology VP Raf Soltanovich framed it as another tool for enjoying global content more immersively, part of a run of viewer-experience features.

Nobody has seen it work

Amazon has released no footage of the tech in action, and hasn't said how much of the process is automated. A bad result means warped, rubbery faces.

“It feels telling that Amazon hasn't posted any clips of its tech in action.”

Who signs off on this

It's unclear whether rightsholders get a veto, or whether an actor's specific way of moving their face survives the process or gets smoothed into something generic.

A pattern, not a one-off

Last year Amazon tried AI-aided dubbing on a dozen titles, plus AI show recaps and plot-based recommendations. The goal is content with as little friction as possible, including the fact that the actors are speaking another language.