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Netflix says 300 shows used AI this year
Netflix says generative AI was used in roughly 300 programs this year, mainly in production and postproduction, according to its Q2 earnings report.
Image: CNET
Netflix says generative AI was used in roughly 300 of its programs this year, mostly in production and especially postproduction, according to the company’s second-quarter earnings report published Thursday.
Netflix had already said last year that it was experimenting with shows produced with artificial intelligence. Now it is putting a number on that work. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said the tools help speed up production, lower costs, and sometimes make shots possible that teams otherwise could not afford or finish on schedule.
“In many of the cases, productions would have left out those key shots because they just wouldn’t have been able to afford them, they wouldn’t have been able to do them in the time frames that they’re working on. Those sequences are saved by the availability and access to these gen AI tools.”
Sarandos cited titles including Glory, a sports thriller set in India, and the docuseries The American Experiment. He described AI as a creative assist for building “complicated shots and sequences,” not a replacement for filmmakers, and said strong films still depend on human artists.
AI use in film and TV production
Netflix has also been more public about using AI in content discovery, advertising, and animation production. In March, the company acquired InterPositive, founded by Ben Affleck, saying the deal would give filmmakers AI tools across the production process.
That push comes after the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes, when writers, actors, and other workers raised concerns about AI replacing creative labor and creating copyright risks. The debate has continued, with backlash over AI-generated performers such as Tilly Norwood and protests tied to reports that Hasbro asked child voice actors on Peppa Pig to sign over rights for AI use of their voices.
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CNET also cited A.K. Pradeep, CEO and founder of SensoriAI, who argued that behind-the-scenes production work is where AI matters most right now. He said AI can help teams make technical decisions around camera focus, angles, and audience-response data, leaving directors more time to focus on the larger creative work.
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via CNET
