Latest news with #Sarandos
Hindustan Times
a day 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.
Los Angeles Times
22-07-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Netflix using startup Runway AI's video tools for production
Netflix Inc. has begun using artificial intelligence video generation software from startup Runway AI, testing the waters with a technology that's controversial in Hollywood. Netflix is currently using the New York-based startup's tools in content production, according to a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named in order to discuss private conversations. Netflix declined to comment. Walt Disney Co., meanwhile, has been testing out Runway's technology and has talked with the startup about possible uses for its generative AI tools, the person said. A Disney spokesperson said the company has no plans to integrate Runway's software into its content production pipeline at this time. Runway declined to comment. The companies' use of Runway's AI video tools, which has not previously been reported, could raise concerns in the entertainment industry. Many film and TV professionals are anxious about AI's impact on their livelihoods. Disney recently sued Midjourney Inc., another AI image and video startup, for copyright infringement. But AI also offers the promise of speeding up some video production tasks and saving money. In a conference call Thursday, after Netflix released its second-quarter results, co-Chief Executive Officer Ted Sarandos said the company is using AI in content production. That includes creating special effects shots more quickly and cheaply than it previously had been able to with traditional visual effects tools and processes. Sarandos said Netflix used the technology for the first time on screen to depict a building collapsing in a show called 'El Eternaut' from Argentina. He did not disclose which AI software it used for that particular scene; a source familiar with the matter, who asked not to be named in order to discuss private information, said Runway's software was not used to create the effect. Runway is competing in an increasingly crowded corner of the fast-growing market for AI tools with established companies like OpenAI and Google, along with a slew of smaller, newer startups. The startup has more traction than most AI startups in Hollywood, however. It kicked off a frenzy around AI video generators in early 2023 with the release of a model that could produce slightly choppy-looking three-second clips based on written prompts such as 'drone footage of a desert landscape.' Its technology has since become far more capable and the company has inked a deal with Lionsgate to train an AI model on the studio's content that can be used in its film projects. Investors have poured $545 million into the company thus far, with a funding round of $308 million earlier this year valuing the company at more than $3 billion. More recently, Runway has pushed deeper into the world of animation and special effects. Earlier this month, the company started rolling out a new AI model called Act-Two that is meant to make the motion-capture process — traditionally clunky, pricey and time consuming — simpler and cheaper. The model, which works with Runway's flagship Gen-4 AI system, can map a video of a person's body movements onto animated characters. Other AI startups have also tried to make inroads in the entertainment industry. As Bloomberg News previously reported, OpenAI spent months talking to large studios, including Disney, about its AI video generator, Sora. While OpenAI has found a receptive audience among some filmmakers, it has yet to announce a large commercial partnership for the product. Metz writes for Bloomberg.
Scottish Sun
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Netflix admits it used AI to make ‘amazing' scene in hit TV show – but did YOU spot it?
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NETFLIX has admitted to using generative AI to create visual effects in a new original TV show - are you able to spot it? The streaming giant confirmed the move in its latest earnings call, with co-CEO Ted Sarandos saying they traded in traditional VFX for generative AI in one scene. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The Eternaut began airing on Netflix in April Credit: Netflix Doing so was not only faster, but much cheaper than outsourcing the shot to a traditional VFX house, Engadget first reported. Creators of the sci-fi Netflix original, The Eternaut, wanted a collapsing building sequence to anchor a key moment in the story. But to detail such a scene would have required VFX that was apparently out of budget for the Argentine post-apocalyptic drama. "Using AI-powered tools, they were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed," Sarandos said. READ MORE ON AI PER-FUMING Gobsmacked Molly-Mae targeted by AI scam as she issues warning to fans "In fact, that VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been completed with... traditional VFX tools and workflows." Sarandos added that the shot "just wouldn't have been feasible for a show on that budget." Generative AI, or Gen AI, is a type of artificial intelligence that can create text, images, music, and videos from prompts given to it by humans. This content can be in all kinds of style - cartoonish, or even hyper-realistic, and therefore difficult to distinguish from real life. Netflix has reportedly got plans to roll out AI-generated adverts for ad-tier subscribers in 2026. The company is also testing a new search feature powered by OpenAI models, according to Bloomberg. Hugely popular Netflix show is ENDING after seven years – leaving fans devastated But The Eternaut marks a milestone, becoming "the very first Gen AI final footage to appear on screen in a Netflix original series or film," Sarandos said. The shift towards generative AI is already happening within Hollywood. Films like 10-time Oscar nominee The Brutalist and Late Night with the Devil faced backlash for even light AI involvement. The issue is already on the radar of SAG-AFTRA, a union whose members went on strike against AI use in video games last summer. "The video game industry generates billions of dollars in profit annually. The driving force behind that success is the creative people who design and create those games," SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, said at the time. "That includes the SAG-AFTRA members who bring memorable and beloved game characters to life, and they deserve and demand the same fundamental protections as performers in film, television, streaming and music: fair compensation and the right of informed consent for the AI use of their faces, voices and bodies."
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.
