Netflix says roughly 300 titles on its platform used generative AI, most of which occurred in post-production. The streaming service revealed the news in its second-quarter earnings report released on Thursday, saying it’s “increasingly leveraging these tools to deliver higher quality output more quickly and at a lower cost.”
Some titles used AI to create ‘enhanced crowds, historical battle sequences, and worldbuilding establishing shots.’
Some titles used AI to create ‘enhanced crowds, historical battle sequences, and worldbuilding establishing shots.’
It also provided some examples of titles that used AI, including Glory, Brasil 70: A Saga do Tri, and The American Experiment. These films used the technology to “create highly complex sequences,” including “enhanced crowds, historical battle sequences, and worldbuilding establishing shots.” Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said last year that it used AI to create a scene in the sci-fi series The Eternaut because it was faster and cheaper.
The streaming giant has begun to invest more heavily in AI as the technology becomes more advanced, with Netflix acquiring Ben Affleck’s AI startup and creating an AI animation studio. The service is also using the AI-generated voice of Gene Wilder in its new Wonka’s The Golden Ticket reality show.
Netflix reported earning $12.56 billion over the past few months, and says it’s still on track to double its ad revenue to $3 billion. In its letter to shareholders, Netflix also addressed some concerns about engagement, which came up after a report from Bloomberg revealed that the streaming giant is struggling to keep viewers around for the second season of its shows.
The service says “time spent is just one aspect of strong engagement,” adding that “quality and variety also matter.” It also highlights that its latest What We Watched report shows that subscribers watched over 97 billion hours, up 2 percent year over year. The company also announced that it will now switch to publishing this report just once per year, instead of twice.
Netflix has started to introduce new types of content in a bid to compete with free-to-watch services like YouTube. In the past year, Netflix has rolled out video podcasts, TikTok-style clips, and most recently announced plans to stream videos created by digital media brands, like BuzzFeed, which would typically appear on YouTube. Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Netflix is considering adding always-on channels.
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