IMAX is embracing AI to enhance the localization of its original productions. As demand for non-English language content continues to surge, especially in English-speaking markets, the Canadian-based entertainment giant is looking to harness cutting-edge AI technology to make its films and documentaries accessible to a wider audience.
In 2023, the global entertainment industry grew by 5% to $2.8 trillion, with projections suggesting a steady rise to $3.4 trillion by 2028. A significant trend driving this growth is the increasing appetite for non-English content, even in traditionally English-dominant markets like the U.S., U.K., Australia, and Canada. For instance, Netflix reported a 90% increase in viewership of non-English content in the U.K. over the past three years.
To tap into this demand, IMAX has partnered with Dubai-based Camb.ai, a startup specializing in AI-powered speech translation. Camb.ai’s AI models, which have already been deployed for live sports events like the Australian Open and Major League Soccer, offer a powerful tool for IMAX to localize its content. The Boli and Mars models, part of Camb.ai’s DubStudio platform, support translations in 140 languages, including low-resource languages with limited data.
IMAX’s move comes at a time when AI is transforming content localization. Camb.ai co-founder Akshat Prakash emphasized that their models are highly specialized, focusing on quality over quantity. The AI technology can translate speech into text and then into speech again in the target language, preserving nuances such as background sounds and audience reactions, which is crucial for sports events and documentaries.
IMAX plans to roll out these AI translations in stages, beginning with high-resource languages, and is already seeing promising results from internal testing of Camb.ai’s tech on its content. “While we are only in the beginning stages of the partnership, we will continue to work together to better explore its potential,” said Mark Welton, president of IMAX Global.
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