Latest news with #ElEternauta
Gulf Today
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Gulf Today
Voice actors push back as AI threatens dubbing industry
Boris Rehlinger may not turn heads on the streets of Paris, but his voice is instantly recognisable to millions of French filmgoers. As the French voice of Ben Affleck and Joaquin Phoenix, Rehlinger is a star behind the scenes — and now he is fighting to keep his craft alive in the age of AI. 'I feel threatened even though my voice hasn't been replaced by AI yet," the actor, who is part of a French initiative, TouchePasMaVF, to protect human-created dubbing from artificial intelligence, told Reuters. He said there was a team of professionals, including actors, translators, production directors, dialogue adapters and sound engineers, to ensure audiences barely notice that the actor on screen is speaking a different language than they hear. The rise of global streaming platforms such as Netflix , which relies heavily on dubbing to make global hits such as "Squid Game" and "Lupin", has amplified demand. Consumer research firm GWI says 43% of viewers in Germany, France, Italy and Britain prefer dubbed content over subtitles. The market is expected to grow to $4.3 billion in 2025, reaching $7.6 billion by 2033, according to Business Research Insights. That growth could also amplify demand for the so-far nascent technology-based solutions, with platforms competing for subscribers and revenue, and seeking to win over advertisers from their rivals by emphasising their increasing reach. But as AI-generated voices become more sophisticated and cost-effective, voice actor industry associations across Europe are calling on the EU to tighten regulations to protect quality, jobs and artists' back catalogues from being used to create future dubbed work. "We need legislation: Just as after the car, which replaced the horse-drawn carriage, we need a highway code," Rehlinger said. Worries over technology in the movie industry and whether it will replace the work of humans are not new. AI has been a flashpoint in Hollywood since the labour unrest of 2023, which resulted in new guidelines for the use of the technology. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said this month that the company used generative AI to produce visual effects for the first time on screen in the original series "El Eternauta (The Eternaut)". It has also tested GenAI to synchronise actors' lip movements with dubbed dialogue to improve the viewing experience, according to three sources familiar with the work. These experiments rely on local voice actors to deliver the lines, rather than use AI to synthetically translate the on-screen performer's voice into another language. Such a use of AI for dubbing is permitted under the new SAG-AFTRA actors' union contract, which covers voice-over dubbing from foreign languages into English. It also requires that the actor rendering the dubbing service be paid. Netflix declined to comment on its use of AI in dubbing when asked by Reuters. Such test-runs by an industry giant will do little to allay the fears of dubbing actors. In Germany, 12 well-known dubbing actors went viral on TikTok in March, garnering 8.7 million views, for their campaign saying "Let's protect artistic, not artificial, intelligence". A petition from the VDS voice actors' association calling on German and EU lawmakers to push AI companies to obtain explicit consent when training the technology on artists' voices and fairly compensate them, as well as transparently label AI-generated content, gained more than 75,500 signatures. When intellectual property is no longer protected, no one will produce anything anymore "because they think 'tomorrow it will be stolen from me anyway'," said Cedric Cavatore, a VDS member who has dubbed films and video games including the PlayStation game "Final Fantasy VII Remake". VDS collaborates with United Voice Artists, a global network of over 20,000 voice actors advocating for ethical AI use and fair contracts. In the United States, Hollywood video game voice and motion capture actors this month signed a new contract with video game studios focused on AI that SAG-AFTRA said represented important progress on protections against the tech. Some studios are already cautiously exploring AI. Eberhard Weckerle, managing director of the Neue Tonfilm Muenchen studio, hopes AI and human dubbing can one day coexist. "The fear is that AI will be used to make something as cheap as possible and then people will say, 'Okay, I'll accept that I'll have poorer quality'. And that would actually be the worst thing that could happen to us," said the sound engineer whose studio worked on the German version of "Conclave" and is currently dubbing Guy Ritchie's new film. Reuters
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Netflix's wild new show used AI to create special effects: Why it matters
Netflix is taking a bold step into artificial intelligence by using video-generating AI for special effects in its new Argentine science fiction series, 'El Eternauta.' This development comes as the company, among many others, looks for faster and cheaper ways to create detailed visual effects and bring stories to life on screen. Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix, explained that the company wants AI to help creators improve the quality of films and shows, not just to save money or reduce production time. For 'El Eternauta,' a key sequence shows a building collapsing in Buenos Aires. Instead of using traditional visual effects methods, the team tried AI-powered tools. According to Sarandos, this made the process much faster, finishing the sequence in a small fraction of the time it would usually take, Ars Technica reported. How AI will help Netflix Shows like 'El Eternauta' require massive amounts of VFX work, and using AI promises an easier way to manage tight budgets and deadlines. Complex shots, once reserved for big-budget films, are now possible for shows that would not have been able to afford them before. Netflix hopes the technology will open up new creative options for filmmakers and give more projects access to advanced effects. Also read Looking for a smartphone? To check mobile finder click here. Still, the rise of AI in TV and films has caused concern within the industry. Actors, writers, and artists are asking for clear rules to protect their jobs as studios adopt AI tools. Last year's extended strikes by performers and game voice actors were signs of growing anxiety about how this technology could change work across entertainment. Some viewers and critics are also wary. AI-generated effects do not always look natural and have attracted criticism for disrupting the feel of a film or show. There have been recent complaints about the quality of AI visuals in several big projects, sparking debates about the artistic value of computer-created images. Netflix has tested AI's potential in other areas before. Past documentaries have used AI to recreate voices or manipulate images, drawing both attention and controversy. Amazon and other major platforms are exploring similar paths, adding AI features for recapping shows or creating new language dubs. Sarandos says the aim remains to give storytellers more tools. He believes AI can stretch what is possible in television without limiting creative vision or replacing human ideas. The effect of these changes is still playing out, but Netflix's experiment with 'El Eternauta' suggests that AI is becoming an important part of TV and movie production.
Economic Times
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Netflix Ushers in a New Creative Era with Generative AI Debut in ‘El Eternauta'.
Synopsis For the first time in its history, Netflix has officially used generative AI in a fictional show, El Eternauta. This groundbreaking moment isn't just about visual effects—it's a larger signal that AI is being integrated as a core creative partner in global content production. The implications are vast: faster workflows, smarter budgets, and an evolution of storytelling itself. Netflix's adaptation of El Eternauta, the legendary Argentine graphic novel by Héctor Germán Oesterheld, was always going to be ambitious. The story centred around a mysterious snowfall in Buenos Aires that brings death from above, demanding high-stakes, cinematic worldbuilding. But instead of relying solely on traditional VFX pipelines, Netflix made a daring choice: integrating generative AI for the very first time in a show's post-production scene that marks this innovation? A building collapsed in Buenos Aires. Rather than hiring dozens of VFX artists or outsourcing to high-cost post-production houses, Netflix turned to its in-house Eyeline Studios, using AI to generate the scene in a fraction of the time and cost. This wasn't about cutting corners. It was about proving that a new creative paradigm had Sarandos, Netflix's co-CEO, revealed during the Q2 2025 earnings call that the building collapse was generated using AI and completed in 'a tenth of the time and cost' of traditional visual effects. That single phrase isn't just a passing remark—it's an executive roadmap. Netflix has always championed data-driven content strategy, and this is the next logical extension: optimizing not just what to make, but how to make a corporate standpoint, this is a case study in operational efficiency. AI allows Netflix to hit aggressive content deadlines, control production overheads, and enable higher creative risk without higher financial risk. For a platform pumping out hundreds of originals annually, generative AI doesn't just add value—it multiplies no shortage of anxiety around AI in creative industries, especially after the Hollywood strikes of 2023. Writers and actors demanded protections from AI's potential to replace human labour. But Netflix's use of AI in El Eternauta doesn't sideline artists—it empowers them. According to Sarandos, the AI-generated scene was created by 'real people doing real work' with the help of better tools. This distinction is critical. In the El Eternauta production pipeline, AI acted as a force multiplier—amplifying what human artists imagined, speeding up labour-intensive sequences, and allowing the production team to spend more time on storytelling, character, and narrative than automating away creativity, Netflix is making the case for augmented creativity, where AI picks up the tedious tasks and humans focus on what they do best: emotional depth, originality, and Eternauta isn't just any series. It's a cultural juggernaut in Latin America, deeply tied to Argentina's political history and national psyche. Producing a show with that level of regional gravity, and doing it justice on a global platform, was never going to be easy, especially without blockbuster-level AI made it possible. The technology democratizes scale, allowing regional stories to be produced with Hollywood-level polish. This matters in Netflix's broader international growth strategy, where local storytelling needs global-grade production. AI can bridge the gap between vision and feasibility, allowing more shows like El Eternauta to cross borders—and especially significant about this AI deployment is that it's not an isolated test—it's a preview of where Netflix is headed. Generative AI is already being tested across the company's workflow. Co-CEO Greg Peters said they're experimenting with AI-generated trailers, visual marketing assets, and even natural-language search prompts like, 'Show me romantic thrillers from the 1990s.'That integration points toward a multi-layered AI transformation: not just what's on screen, but how it's found, recommended, marketed, and monetized. Netflix isn't just tweaking one corner of its operations—it's retrofitting its entire content ecosystem for an AI-assisted the long-term payoff is massive: faster go-to-market timelines, smarter asset creation, more personalized user journeys, and ultimately, higher audience engagement—all without dramatically increasing appears to be playing within those guardrails. The El Eternauta case shows that when AI is used transparently, ethically, and as a support tool—not a replacement—it can unlock massive creative value. The company's public stance reflects a desire to build AI into the process without displacing the people who make stories success of El Eternauta is not about a single scene. It's about what that scene represents: Netflix's willingness to embrace next-gen tools without compromising on creative integrity. The result is a powerful signal to creators, investors, and competitors alike that AI is no longer a back-office experiment. It's a production might never notice that one scene was AI-generated—and that's the point. When done right, AI enhances the story without distracting from it. And for Netflix, that invisible efficiency is its greatest is more than just a smart way to cut costs or speed up timelines. It's the future of global entertainment—more accessible, more diverse, more scalable, and powered by a new creative partnership between humans and machines.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Netflix Ushers in a New Creative Era with Generative AI Debut in ‘El Eternauta'.
Creative Empowerment, Not Creative Replacement Live Events Future-Proofing Netflix's Ecosystem Not a Gimmick—A Strategic Signal Netflix's adaptation of El Eternauta , the legendary Argentine graphic novel by Héctor Germán Oesterheld, was always going to be ambitious. The story centred around a mysterious snowfall in Buenos Aires that brings death from above, demanding high-stakes, cinematic worldbuilding. But instead of relying solely on traditional VFX pipelines, Netflix made a daring choice: integrating generative AI for the very first time in a show's post-production scene that marks this innovation? A building collapsed in Buenos Aires. Rather than hiring dozens of VFX artists or outsourcing to high-cost post-production houses, Netflix turned to its in-house Eyeline Studios, using AI to generate the scene in a fraction of the time and cost. This wasn't about cutting corners. It was about proving that a new creative paradigm had Sarandos, Netflix's co-CEO, revealed during the Q2 2025 earnings call that the building collapse was generated using AI and completed in 'a tenth of the time and cost' of traditional visual effects. That single phrase isn't just a passing remark—it's an executive roadmap. Netflix has always championed data-driven content strategy, and this is the next logical extension: optimizing not just what to make, but how to make a corporate standpoint, this is a case study in operational efficiency. AI allows Netflix to hit aggressive content deadlines, control production overheads, and enable higher creative risk without higher financial risk. For a platform pumping out hundreds of originals annually, generative AI doesn't just add value—it multiplies no shortage of anxiety around AI in creative industries, especially after the Hollywood strikes of 2023. Writers and actors demanded protections from AI's potential to replace human labour. But Netflix's use of AI in El Eternauta doesn't sideline artists—it empowers to Sarandos, the AI-generated scene was created by 'real people doing real work' with the help of better tools. This distinction is critical. In the El Eternauta production pipeline, AI acted as a force multiplier—amplifying what human artists imagined, speeding up labour-intensive sequences, and allowing the production team to spend more time on storytelling, character, and narrative than automating away creativity, Netflix is making the case for augmented creativity, where AI picks up the tedious tasks and humans focus on what they do best: emotional depth, originality, and Eternauta isn't just any series. It's a cultural juggernaut in Latin America, deeply tied to Argentina's political history and national psyche. Producing a show with that level of regional gravity, and doing it justice on a global platform, was never going to be easy, especially without blockbuster-level AI made it possible. The technology democratizes scale, allowing regional stories to be produced with Hollywood-level polish. This matters in Netflix's broader international growth strategy, where local storytelling needs global-grade production. AI can bridge the gap between vision and feasibility, allowing more shows like El Eternauta to cross borders—and especially significant about this AI deployment is that it's not an isolated test—it's a preview of where Netflix is headed. Generative AI is already being tested across the company's workflow. Co-CEO Greg Peters said they're experimenting with AI-generated trailers, visual marketing assets, and even natural-language search prompts like, 'Show me romantic thrillers from the 1990s.'That integration points toward a multi-layered AI transformation: not just what's on screen, but how it's found, recommended, marketed, and monetized. Netflix isn't just tweaking one corner of its operations—it's retrofitting its entire content ecosystem for an AI-assisted the long-term payoff is massive: faster go-to-market timelines, smarter asset creation, more personalized user journeys, and ultimately, higher audience engagement—all without dramatically increasing appears to be playing within those guardrails. The El Eternauta case shows that when AI is used transparently, ethically, and as a support tool—not a replacement—it can unlock massive creative value. The company's public stance reflects a desire to build AI into the process without displacing the people who make stories success of El Eternauta is not about a single scene. It's about what that scene represents: Netflix's willingness to embrace next-gen tools without compromising on creative integrity. The result is a powerful signal to creators, investors, and competitors alike that AI is no longer a back-office experiment. It's a production might never notice that one scene was AI-generated—and that's the point. When done right, AI enhances the story without distracting from it. And for Netflix, that invisible efficiency is its greatest is more than just a smart way to cut costs or speed up timelines. It's the future of global entertainment—more accessible, more diverse, more scalable, and powered by a new creative partnership between humans and machines.
Time of India
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Generative AI is more than just a cost saver for us: Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos
Synopsis Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos sees generative AI as a tool to enhance creativity, not just cut costs. In El Eternauta, AI enabled faster, cheaper visual effects. Netflix also uses AI for personalisation, search, and ads.
