Prime Video Botches AI Summary of Pacino’s ‘Dog Day Afternoon’

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The critically acclaimed movie “Dog Day Afternoon,” which won an Oscar for Al Pacino, is considered one of his best and most impactful films. In 2009, the Library of Congress declared it as culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, making it part of the National Film Registry. However, it appears that Amazon Prime Video, which offers the film for rental or purchase, does not seem to prioritize media preservation as much. A mistake on their platform has been spotted by observant viewers, and Prime Video has faced criticism as a result.

According to a user on Bluesky, the description for “Dog Day Afternoon” on Prime Video appeared to be an automated summary. This assumption was made because the description seemed incomplete and generic, suggesting that the person who copied it over may not have actually read it thoroughly. The AI-generated summary started with a common logline but did not provide a detailed plot due to supposedly running out of information to summarize further within the given guidelines. Here is the full AI summary:

“On a sweltering summer day in 1972, Sonny Wortzik and his buddy Sal Naturale rob a Brooklyn bank. But when they can’t get their hands on enough cash, Sonny takes hostages and demands that the authorities contact the Federal Reserve. Meanwhile, Sonny’s wife Lydia waits anxiously outside the bank while the media circus swirls around her husband. Based on actual events.”

The summary lacked specific details about the characters, their motivations, and how the story unfolds, making it seem as though the AI platform was unable to finish the job.

A man holds several people captive inside a bank located in Brooklyn, but there’s insufficient data for me to provide more details about the situation.

It’s not the first time that Amazon has hinted, intentionally or unintentionally, about employing advanced AI technology for its streaming service, Prime Video. Earlier, they declared their intention to use AI to create TV recaps, which are concise summaries of entire seasons, enabling viewers to get caught up on a show without needing to watch it in full. The recent mistake with “Dog Day Afternoon” suggests that the AI might need improvement, and maybe they should consider having actual humans write plot descriptions for accuracy’s sake.

‘Dog Day Afternoon’ Is Based on a True Story

Oh damn Prime actually published their failed chatgpt prompt in the description
— Ockeroid (@ockeroid.bsky.social) 2025-02-18T06:39:41.747Z

Under the guidance of director Sidney Lumet, the movie titled “Dog Day Afternoon” is a retelling of a real-life event that was initially documented in Life Magazine in 1972. The story revolves around the failed bank robbery orchestrated by John Wojtowicz and Salvatore Naturile. In the movie, Al Pacino embodies Sonny Wortzik (a character based on John Wojtowicz), while John Cazale portrays Sal Naturile (representing Salvatore Naturile). The bank robbery was supposed to take place in broad daylight, but as the title suggests, things didn’t go smoothly during that hot, sunny day. “Dog Day Afternoon” garnered six Academy Award nominations, with Frank Pierson winning for Best Original Screenplay. Notably, Al Pacino was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Chris Sarandon received a nod for his portrayal of Leon Shermer, John’s partner who aspires for sex-reassignment surgery. This character was inspired by the real-life transgender woman Elizabeth Eden.

In “Dog Day Afternoon,” Sonny Wortzik resorts to bank robbery due to his urgent need for money to fund Leon’s gender reassignment surgery. Some viewers suspect that a flaw in AI programming may have led to an inadequate description of the film on Prime Video, as certain AI systems might struggle to accurately represent transgender individuals. A Bluesky user expresses their disappointment, stating “it seems likely that the restrictions preventing a more accurate description could be ‘avoid discussing trans people.” It’s also plausible that the actual motive behind the robbery was intentionally concealed until the film was watched by audiences.

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2025-02-18 21:32