Why Amazon Prime Video has pulled its AI-powered story recaps
What's the story
Amazon Prime Video has temporarily pulled its AI-generated video recap of Fallout after viewers flagged major inaccuracies. The streaming service had started testing the Video Recaps feature last month, but it is now missing from shows like Fallout, The Rig, Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Upload, and Bosch. The feature was designed to use artificial intelligence (AI) to summarize key plot points of a show in a short video with voiceover and clips from the series.
Mistakes
Fallout recap video contained critical errors
The season one recap of Fallout incorrectly placed one of The Ghoul's flashbacks in "1950s America," instead of the correct year, 2077. The AI narrator also misrepresented a key plot point, saying that The Ghoul gives Lucy MacLean a choice to "die or leave with him" on a quest to find her father. This was an oversimplification as Lucy had the option to accompany The Ghoul or stay behind and risk an attack from The Brotherhood of Steel.
Disappearance
AI-powered recaps now missing
Amazon had said that these AI-powered recaps would show up on a series' detail page when a "customer navigates to the next season of a supported series." However, they seem to have disappeared completely for now.
AI implementation
Prime Video's AI recap videos: A mixed bag
Amazon has been testing AI-generated recap videos since last month. The company had previously boasted about this feature, saying it would "use AI to identify a show's most important plot points, combining them with synchronized voice narration, dialogue snippets, and music to create a visual summary that prepares viewers for the new season." However, as seen in the Fallout case, the technology isn't foolproof and can miss even simple details.