Amazon pulls error-filled 'Fallout' AI video recaps from Prime Video
In November, Amazon announced that it was launching AI video recaps for TV shows.
In theory, this could be useful, as now that fans often have to wait years in between seasons of a show, plot recaps are often very necessary before binge-watching a new season. In practice, however, viewers have spotted several errors in a video recap for the first season of the Fallout TV series, which is gearing up for Season 2.
GamesRadar pointed out that the show's AI video recap incorrectly identifies the time period of the show's flashbacks, telling viewers they take place about 120 years earlier than they actually take place in the show's chronology. On top of that, the recap mischaracterizes a pivotal plot point at the end of Season 1, completely botching the main character's primary motivation.
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It's a real, "You had one job!" situation for Amazon's AI technology.
When the feature was announced in February, an Amazon blog post hailed the AI-powered recaps as "groundbreaking." Yet anyone familiar with the limitations of large-language models knows that they are famously prone to hallucinations and inaccuracies.
“Video Recaps marks a groundbreaking application of generative AI for streaming,” Gérard Medioni, vice president of technology at Prime Video, said in a November press release. “This first-of-its-kind feature demonstrates Prime Video’s ongoing commitment to innovation and making the viewing experience more accessible and enjoyable for customers.”
And here's how Amazon says the AI recaps are created:
Creating each video recap is a multistep process. With the help of generative AI, the Video Recaps feature analyzes a season’s key plot points and character arcs to deeply understand the most pivotal moments that will resonate with viewers as they enter the next season.
Then, the AI finds the most compelling video clips and pairs them with audio effects, dialogue snippets, and music. These are all stitched together with an overarching AI-generated voiceover narration to deliver a theatrical-quality visual recap.
Unfortunately, fact-checking or human review doesn't seem to be one of the steps.
After gaming journalists started writing about the error-filled AI videos, which featured an AI voice-over and clips from the show, Amazon seemingly pulled the feature from Fallout and other Prime Video series, as The Verge reported.
For AI critics in gaming media, this was a prime opportunity to make puns about the "fallout" from another failed AI tool. Many creative professionals are extremely hostile to generative AI in all its forms, as Mashable has reported.
Yet Amazon has given no indication that the feature is gone for good, and it may yet return. Amazon is all-in on generative AI, after all, as are millions of AI users.
In the meantime, you can always rely on human-created season recaps from publications like, say, Mashable.
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men’s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men's product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he’s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl.
Tim studied print journalism at the University of Southern California. He currently splits his time between Brooklyn, NY and Charleston, SC. He's currently working on his second novel, a science-fiction book.
