AI dubbing feature arrives on YouTube for multilingual access

YouTube has officially launched its automatic dubbing feature, an AI-powered tool designed to translate spoken dialogue in videos into multiple languages. Initially introduced as an experimental project in June 2023, the feature has now become a full-fledged service aimed at making content more accessible and helping creators reach global audiences by breaking down language barriers.

The technology driving this innovation stems from Aloud, a dubbing service developed under Google’s Area 120 incubator. Aloud was conceived with the goal of helping content creators make their work enjoyable for audiences worldwide, regardless of language differences.

In a recent blog post, YouTube showcased the new feature with a few examples. Videos were dubbed from French to English, Hindi to English, and even a multilingual video supporting nine languages, including English, Hindi, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Italian, German, French, and Indonesian. While the feature is currently limited to select creators, YouTube plans to expand it to a broader range of video genres soon.

The dubbed audio is not lip-synced with the speaker's movements, but YouTube ensures that the translations remain clear and comprehensible, even in fast-paced scenarios like cooking tutorials. For now, the feature is available to creators in the YouTube Partner Program who focus on educational or informational content.

For viewers, accessing dubbed content is simple. When a video offers multiple audio tracks, they can find an “Audio Track” option in the settings menu (gear icon). Alternatively, the video description may indicate “Auto-dubbed” content under the “How this content was made” section.

Creators can easily integrate this feature. Once a video is uploaded, YouTube’s AI automatically generates dubbed versions in supported languages. For example, an English video may be dubbed into Hindi, German, Spanish, and more, while non-English videos can be dubbed into English. Creators can review the AI-generated dubs in YouTube Studio and choose to keep, modify, or remove them if they’re unsatisfied with the results.

YouTube acknowledges that while the AI-generated dubs aim to match the speaker’s tone and style, the technology is not yet flawless. However, it marks a significant step forward in making global content accessible and inclusive for diverse audiences.

The automatic dubbing feature is expected to expand gradually, offering creators and viewers alike more opportunities to connect across languages and cultures.