Netflix Used AI on Roughly 300 Programs This Year

Netflix says generative AI appeared in roughly 300 of its programs this year, primarily in production and postproduction. The disclosure came in the company’s second-quarter earnings report, published Thursday, as the streaming giant expands its use of AI-assisted filmmaking.

Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos described the technology as a way to speed up work, reduce costs and create shots that might otherwise be too expensive or time-consuming. Some of the titles that used AI include Glory, a sports thriller set in India, and the docuseries The American Experiment.

“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 said creators are using AI to build “complicated shots and sequences,” while stressing that the technology is intended as a creative aid rather than a replacement for human artists. Netflix has also been applying AI to content discovery, advertising and animation production. In March, it acquired InterPositive, founded by Ben Affleck, saying the company would provide filmmakers with AI tools throughout production.

AI’s contested role in Hollywood

The adoption comes after writers, actors and other entertainment workers shut down Hollywood productions in 2023, citing concerns about AI replacing creative labor and the use of copyrighted material. Since then, studios, unions and artists have continued to challenge the rapid development of generative video and performance tools.

The backlash has included AI-generated performers such as Tilly Norwood, amid concerns about labor replacement, unauthorized use of human performances and limited emotional authenticity. Protests also followed reports that Hasbro asked child voice actors on Peppa Pig to sign over rights for AI use of their voices.

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At the same time, filmmakers including Martin Scorsese have explored AI, while studios and distributors—including Netflix—continue developing live-action and animated projects that use the technology for selected production tasks.

Why behind-the-scenes production matters

No widely recognized big-budget film or television show has yet been made entirely by AI or featured fully AI-generated performers. A.K. Pradeep, CEO and founder of SensoriAI, which performs AI production work for television in India, told CNET that behind-the-scenes applications may be the technology’s most significant role in entertainment.

“Netflix is catching up to do this unsexy but super important job. Shows win or fall based on production, camera work, sound and good direction.”

Pradeep said AI can help make technical decisions quickly, allowing directors to focus on broader creative choices. That can include selecting subjects for the camera, choosing angles and analyzing ratings data to identify what worked—decisions he said can separate a hit from a flop.