Crunchyroll Accidentally Reveals They've Been Using ChatGPT for Sub Translations

Crunchyroll, one of the world's most widely used streaming services for animation content, recently came under the spotlight for a rather serious oversight. The platform, which specializes in material from East Asia, including anime and TV series, is part of the Sony Corporation and has its roots in the USA, but it has recently landed in other countries as well.

On July 1, 2025, during the premiere of Necronomico and the Cosmic Horror Show, a production released for the summer season, a X user (formerly known as Twitter) noticed an error within the program's subtitles. The text read, “ChatGPT says: Wenn ich die Welt von hier an weiter genießen kann.”, clearly showing that the translation of the subtitles had been entrusted to artificial intelligence, followed by minimal, if not completely nonexistent, human control.

Following the incident, which went viral on social media within a short time, the platform received several unwanted attentions, aimed at bringing to light a series of controversies that had occurred previously: from other AI-related problems, to misbehavior toward fans.