Netflix Admits Using AI to Make
Film and Series Production Cheaper
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia –Netflix admitted last Thursday that it used generative artificial intelligence to produce the visual effects that first appeared on screen in one of its original series. According to Channel News Asia, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos praised AI as “an incredible opportunity to help creators make better films and series, not just cheaper.”
Sarandos gave the example of the Argentine science fiction series “El Eternauta (The Eternity),” in which the creators wanted to depict a collapsing building in Buenos Aires. Such visual effects would have been beyond the project’s budget. The creative team partnered with Eyeline Studios, a production innovation group at Netflix, to create the dramatic scene with the help of AI.
“That VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been done with traditional VFX tools and workflows,” Sarandos said during the company’s second-quarter investor call, as quoted by Channel News Asia, Saturday (July 19, 2025).
“And it wouldn’t be affordable for a show with that budget.”
Sarandos said the sequence is the first final GenAI footage to appear on screen in a Netflix original series or film.
AI has been a focal point in Hollywood since the 2023 film industry labor unrest, which resulted in new guidelines for the use of such technology. A major concern is that AI could replace human workers.
Netflix Co-CEO Greg Peters said they might find other ways to leverage generative AI to improve the user experience. This includes offering viewers the ability to use spoken word to find something to watch.
“Saying ‘I want to watch a dark psychological thriller from the ’80s,’ (and getting) multiple results… is something that hasn’t been possible in our experience before,” Peters said.
He continued, noting that advertising represents another opportunity for generative AI, as brands and marketers strive to create engaging content.
“We believe these generative techniques can iteratively reduce those barriers over time and allow us to do this in more places,” Peters said.
SOURCE : CNBC INDONESIA
