When Will You See AI-Generated Content on Netflix? It's Possible You Already Have
In a video conference call after Netflix's earnings were announced on July 17, Sarandos took questions, one of which was focused on when and how the streaming company will generate content with artificial intelligence tools.
Surprisingly, Sarandos said the company already did it, on an Argentinian sci-fi show called El Eternauta, a graphic-novel adaptation known as The Eternaut in English-speaking markets. For a scene showing a building collapsing in Buenos Aires, Netflix's tech team worked with the filmmakers to generate AI footage that was used as final footage.
Sarandos revealed that this was the first time that Netflix has used generative AI for final footage in any TV show or movie it has produced.
"We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper," Sarandos said in the call. "Real people doing real work with better tools," he added.
The Netflix chief said that the show's budget would never have allowed footage like that to be created with traditional visual effects tools and workflows, and that it was produced 10 times faster than it would have been traditionally. "They were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed," Sarandos said.
Filmmakers, he said, are already using AI for pre-visualization and shot planning as well as visual effects such as de-aging. The company also plans to keep expanding its use of AI for keep improving recommendations and other features offered to subscribers.
El Eternauta has already been renewed for a second season and received positive reviews.
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