YouTube’s Auto-Generated Audio Is Frustrating Users: Here’s Why
YouTube has billions of viewers worldwide, but lately, many users have noticed something odd — videos suddenly start playing in a different language without any prompt. If you frequently watch YouTube videos or Shorts, you’ve probably seen local-language content being automatically dubbed into English (or another language). This new auto-generated audio feature, which YouTube has been testing for the past few months, has not been well received.
Over the years, YouTube has introduced tools to enhance the viewing experience. But this latest experiment — meant to make content more accessible — seems to have missed the mark.
How YouTube’s Auto-Generated Audio Works
AI-powered tools are reshaping the internet, but not always for the better. YouTube’s new AI-generated dubbing is a case in point. Many users find it jarring to see a Hindi video suddenly play in English, with robotic voices that lack natural emotion or accurate lip-syncing. The result feels cold, detached, and far from the engaging human tone that draws people to online videos.
Can You Turn Off YouTube’s Auto Audio?
Fortunately, you can disable this feature and return to the video’s original audio track. Here’s how:
- Open YouTube and play any video.
- Tap the three-dot menu at the top right.
- Select Audio track.
- Choose Hindi (or the video’s original language).
Your video will now play as originally uploaded.
YouTube also offers auto-generated captions, which can be equally annoying when subtitles don’t sync properly or mistranslate phrases. You can turn these off in the Settings > Subtitles section.
Small Design Changes, Big Platform Goals
Alongside this feature, YouTube has quietly introduced design updates — including a cleaner video player on both web and mobile. These tweaks are aimed at offering a smoother, more immersive experience as the platform continues expanding beyond videos to include music, podcasts, and Shorts.
The changes might seem subtle, but together they show YouTube’s push to modernize — even if, sometimes, the AI-powered additions make the experience feel a little too robotic.
