Netflix is exploring how AI can help content creators: Ted Sarandos

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Netflix is exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance the experience for content creators, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said on April 18.

“There's a ton of excitement about what AI can do for content creators,” Sarandos said during the company's earnings conference call.

He said that creators are currently using AI tools to set references, pre-vis (pre-visualisation), VFX sequence prep, and shot planning.

“Traditionally, only big budget projects would have access to things like advanced visual effects such as de-aging. Today, you can use these AI-powered tools to enable smaller budget projects to have access to big VFX on screen” Sarandos said.

He cited the example of Mexican film director Rodrigo Prieto, who served as the cinematographer for Martin Scorsese’s Netflix film The Irishman and is now directing his first feature film for the service, Pedro Páramo, in Mexico.

“If you remember that movie, we were using very cutting-edge, very expensive de-aging technology that still had massive limitations, still created a bunch of complexity on set for the actors. It was a giant leap forward for sure, but nowhere near what we needed for that film," Sarandos said.

"Five years later, Prieto was able to deliver the de-aging VFX to the screen by using AI-powered tools, for a fraction of what it cost for The Irishman. In fact, the entire budget of the film was about the VFX cost on The Irishman,” Sarandos added.

The Irishman, which was released in 2019, is one of the most expensive movies in history, with a reported budget of $160-$225 million.

Earlier this month, James Cameron, the iconic director of Avatar, The Terminator, and Titanic, said on a podcast with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth that AI could reduce blockbuster filmmaking costs by half.

“That's not about laying off half the staff and at the effects company. That's about doubling their speed to completion on a given shot, so your cadence is faster and your throughput cycle is faster, and artists get to move on and do other cool things and then other cool things, right? That's my sort of vision for that.” he said.

Referring to these comments during the company's earnings conference call, Sarandos said that there's an “even bigger opportunity if you can make movies 10 percent better”

He also said Netflix is finding ways for AI to improve the member experience, without sharing any specific details.

The American streaming giant is currently piloting a new AI-powered search engine that helps people find television shows and movies with more specific terms, including their mood.

The search engine, powered by ChatGPT maker OpenAI, is currently being tested with select customers in Australia and New Zealand with plans to soon expand to other markets.