It turns out that machines aren’t the best at summarizing TV shows. Demonstrating the shortcomings of artificial intelligence in capturing the essence of a narrative, Prime Video has axed the AI-generated recaps of the first season of Fallout, according to The Verge. These recaps, originally intended to help viewers catch up before the premiere of the second season, were riddled with inaccuracies. Citing posts from Reddit and viewer feedback, GamesRadar highlighted that the AI confused Fallout‘s distinct retro-futuristic setting with the 1950s, despite the series being set in the post-apocalyptic 2070s. Moreover, GamesRadar pointed out that the AI incorrectly portrayed a pivotal offer in the season one finale as a dire ‘join or die’ choice, rather than an opportunity to uncover deeper plots in New Vegas.

Thankfully, these problematic AI-generated summaries are no longer an issue. Initially, these recaps were part of a broader initiative described in a press release last year, aiming to provide concise, personalized summaries of TV series, individual episodes, or specific scenes. However, this seemed more like an opportunity for a large corporation to experiment with innovative yet overhyped technology under the guise of efficiency, primarily to reduce costs associated with employing human staff. Just a month prior to unveiling these recaps, Amazon announced its $500 million investment in developing compact nuclear reactors to support its Amazon Web Services and potentially lead us into a real Fallout-esque future.

This incident marks another faux pas in the realm of AI for the behemoth company, which appears reluctant to invest in human talent such as editors, voice-over artists, and actors. Recently, fan backlash led to the removal of an AI-generated English dubbing for the anime Banana Fish, as reported by IGN. It’s clear that despite the longevity and evolution of TV recaps, they still fundamentally require the human touch—a human to watch and understand the nuances of the show.