AI-Driven Dubbing in Italy: Taking Stock of Local Audience Reception

Abstract

This study investigates Italian audiences’ responses to AI-generated dubbing in Audiovisual Translation (AVT). By surveying three distinct age groups (15-19, 20-24, and 25-34), the research examines the acoustic naturalness, linguistic quality, willingness to pay, and genre preferences. Results indicate a significant generational divide heavily influenced by digital media consumption. While younger digital natives (15-19) demonstrate a higher susceptibility to the auditory illusion of AI – likely due to their exposure to synthetic voices on social media –, the 20-24 demographic emerges as highly critical, firmly rejecting the AI’s unnatural linguistic choices and phrasing. Economically, the study reveals a unanimous rejection across all groups toward paying cinema tickets for AI-dubbed films. However, audiences show a strong willingness to consume free, AI-dubbed content at home, predominantly restricting their acceptance to unscripted formats. Ultimately, while AI is slowly being accepted as a cost-effective, supplementary tool for secondary audiovisual products, audiences still fiercely protect the emotional authenticity of cinematic storytelling, rejecting the hypothesis that artificial intelligence will eventually and entirely replace traditional, human-led dubbing.