Netflix is investing significantly in artificial intelligence, a move that could impact anime voice actors worldwide. A recent job post from the streaming giant has raised concerns about the future of human voice acting, particularly in the popular anime industry.
As spotted by CBR, The job, titled “Research Scientist for Globalization,” posted on March 21, offers a salary ranging from $170,000 to $720,000 per year.
Located at Netflix’s headquarters in Los Gatos, California, this position aims to remove language barriers and provide a smooth entertainment experience for viewers globally.
According to Netflix’s official job description, the new employee would join the “Globalization Data Science and Engineering” team, which works to make Netflix’s content accessible to everyone. Their main task involves developing “generative speech technologies,” advanced algorithms capable of mimicking human speech and emotions for high-quality dubbing and subtitles.
These technologies include AI-generated speech synthesis and voice cloning, matching dialogue precisely to actors’ lip movements on-screen.
Netflix’s investment underlines its intention to use AI to simplify and accelerate content localization. This could reduce production costs, speed up dubbing, and ensure consistent voice quality across multiple languages, especially important for anime, known for extensive dubbing needs due to its international audience.
Voice Actors Could Potentially Start Seeing Less Job Openings
The implications for human voice actors could be serious. Anime constitutes a large part of Netflix’s international content, and automating dubbing might significantly impact voice actor employment.
Recent analyses suggest real risks of job displacement, particularly in routine dubbing roles, as AI voice technology continues to improve. Although AI might currently struggle to fully capture the subtle performances valued by fans, there are indications that this gap is narrowing.
Netflix isn’t alone in testing AI dubbing technology. Amazon Prime Video started using AI-assisted dubbing in early 2025, adopting a hybrid method where AI initially generates voice tracks, which are then refined by human actors.
Their tests, such as dubbing the movie “Elsid Laenda” into English and Latin American Spanish, show growing industry interest in AI solutions.
Crunchyroll, another prominent anime streaming service, has been using AI primarily for subtitles to speed up their availability shortly after original broadcasts. However, the platform faced issues with AI-generated subtitles in October 2023, temporarily removing the anime “The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons” due to inaccuracies.
