By India McCarty
While the technology is hotly contested, leaders in the entertainment industry show their support for AI — including Netflix’s co-CEO, Ted Sarandos.
“We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper,” Sarandos said during a recent meeting about second quarter financial results. “So this is real people doing real work with better tools.”
Sarandos continued, “Our creators are already seeing the benefits in production through pre-visualization and shot planning work, and certainly visual effects.”
He pointed to Argentinian sci-fi series EL ETERNAUTA as an example. The show utilized AI-powered visual effects to create striking scenes, such as a building in Buenos Aires collapsing.
“Using AI-powered tools, they were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed and, in fact, that VFX sequence was completed ten times faster than it could have been completed with traditional VFX tools and work flows,” Sarandos explained, adding that using AI also lowered the budget for EL ETERNAUTA’s VFX.
He concluded, “The creators were thrilled with the result. We were thrilled with the result, and more importantly the audience was thrilled with the result. So I think these tools are helping creators expand the possibilities of storytelling on screen, and that is endlessly exciting.”
Related: Netflix Centers Future Content Plans Around AI
This isn’t the only way Netflix has begun to implement AI into their platform. For example, in May, Netflix announced they would be bringing “generative AI to our members’ discovery experience, starting with a search feature on iOS that is a small opt-in beta,” per a press release.
“This will allow members to search for shows and movies using natural, conversational phrases like ‘I want something funny and upbeat,’” the statement explained.
While Netflix seems eager to embrace the technology, their stars might not be as thrilled with the use of AI in their projects.
Last year, FRIENDS actress Lisa Kudrow criticized the Robert Zemeckis-directed movie HERE, starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright as a couple, showing them at every stage of their life together. This effect was achieved through the use of de-aging technology.
“They shot it, and they could actually shoot the scene and then look at the playback of them as younger, and it’s ready for them to see,” Kudrow said during an appearance on the “Armchair Expert” podcast. “All I got from that was, this is an endorsement for AI.”
She continued, “It’s not like, ‘Oh it’s going to ruin everything,’ but what will be left? Forget actors, what about up-and-coming actors? They’ll just be licensing and recycling. Set that completely aside, what work will there be for human beings? Then what?…How can it possibly be enough?”
The debate over the increasingly widespread use of AI in all fields rages on, but for Netflix, it looks like the battle might already be won.
Read Next: AI is Splitting Hollywood — Here’s Why
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