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Netflix is “all in” on leveraging generative artificial intelligence on its streaming platform, according to the company, as AI continues to make its way into mainstream entertainment.
The comments came from Netflix’s earnings report Tuesday, which highlighted AI as a major focus for the world’s largest streaming service by subscriber count.
“For many years now, [machine learning] and AI have been powering our title recommendations as well as production and promotion technology,” Netflix said in a letter to shareholders.
It added that generative AI presents a “significant opportunity” across its streaming platform, including improving its recommendations, ads business, and movies and TV content.
“We’re empowering creators with a broad set of GenAI tools to help them achieve their visions and deliver even more impactful titles for members,” the company said.
Netflix provided recent examples of this, noting its recently distributed film Happy Gilmore 2 used generative AI tools to help de-age characters. Meanwhile, producers for the Netflix series Billionaires’ Bunker have used various generative AI tools during pre-production to explore wardrobe and set designs.
Concerns of AI replacement
Netflix’s comments come amid broader concerns in the entertainment and art world regarding the potential for AI to replace human workers and the technology’s use of human-made content.
Speaking during an earnings call, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos seemingly addressed those issues, noting that AI can enhance the overall TV and movie experience, but “can’t automatically make you a great storyteller if you’re not.”
“We’re confident that AI is going to help us and help our creative partners tell stories better, faster and in new ways — we’re all in on that,” Sarandos said. He added: “We’re not worried about AI replacing creativity.”
However, many in the entertainment industry remain skeptical of AI and its growing presence in media.
An upstart production studio called Particle6 recently faced massive backlash for its plan to create, design, manage and monetize AI-generated actors and talent, including from the media union SAG-AFTRA.
SAG-AFTRA previously led a significant actors’ strike in July 2023, amid a broader series of Hollywood labor disputes that saw concerns about the use of artificial intelligence brought to the forefront.
The strike lasted over 100 days before a tentative agreement was reached between SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, which included the establishment of contractual AI protections for film and TV performers for the first time.
To further encourage the responsible use of such AI tools, Netflix recently released a new AI-focused production guidance aimed at its creators.
