You know that feeling you get when you’re watching a movie and the scene is set in a location that should be crowded, yet feels strangely empty? It’s occurring more often, and it’s partly a result of higher production costs and tighter budgets. But don’t worry, Netflix has a solution to stop that fleeting, inconsequential feeling: AI! A whopping 300 AI-“enhanced” titles, to be exact.
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos dropped his undeniable embrace of AI in a letter to shareholders before last week’s earnings call. One example: Netflix’s new docuseries, “The American Experiment,” includes 17 minutes of AI-modified footage, including crowds and battle scenes. “It enabled us to expand the scope in ways that wouldn’t have been feasible before,” Sarandos said. “Those 17 minutes were produced twice as fast, at half the cost.” Never mind that countless PBS documentaries have had no trouble realistically depicting revolutionary-era America without AI; Netflix is innovating.
“Productions would’ve left out those key shots because they wouldn’t have been able to afford them; they wouldn’t have been able to do them in the time frames they’re working on,” Sarandos continued.
That’s what happens when the content model is to pump out as much as possible, as fast as possible. Netflix can afford longer production timelines; they just don’t want to pay up. I’d rather see an empty-feeling shot than something filled out by AI — at least the material’s quality could speak for itself. In an AI-adjusted version, everything is digitized to uncanny perfection. Is that really what viewers want, to not be able to discern reality, even with all its limitations?
Asking is useless. Netflix doesn’t care about their viewer. They don’t care about the integrity of their product, or the art of television and filmmaking. What they care about is money and manipulation.
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