Ted Sarandos, the co-chief executive of popular streaming site Netflix, is defending the recent use of artificial intelligence (AI) in one of its shows - promising that the technology will “make films and series better, not just cheaper.”
Sarandos’s comments came after Netflix used AI fr the first time in one of its TV shows, El Eternauta (The Eternaut).
The Argentinian show is a science fiction series following the survivors of a toxic snowfall. Visual effects artists and Netflix reportedly worked together to show Buenos Aires devastated with collapsed buildings in a post-apocalyptic style
“We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper,” Sarandos told analysts in July after Netflix reported its second-quarter results, according to the Guardian.
“Using AI-powered tools, they were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed and, in fact, that VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been completed with traditional VFX tools and workflows,” he said.
The introduction of AI is anticipated to reduce the cost of big-budget shows.
“The cost of [the special effects without AI] just wouldn’t have been feasible for a show in that budget,” Sarandos said.
Experts have previously sounded the alarm about how AI could devastate creative fields, leading to mass job losses. Despite the warnings, Sarandos said that Netflix was involving creatives in the use of AI.
“This is real people doing real work with better tools. Our creators are already seeing the benefits in production through pre-visualisation and shot planning work, and certainly visual effects,” he said. “I think these tools are helping creators expand the possibilities of storytelling on screen, and that is endlessly exciting.”
Netflix shares
The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq ground to a halt last week, dragged down by Netflix and cautious investors heading into the weekend after a turbulent week of mixed economic signals, earnings and shifting rate cut bets by the Federal Reserve.
Netflix dropped 4.5% to an over one-month low despite the success of Squid Game helping the company surpass earnings forecasts. The streaming giant also lifted its annual revenue outlook.
Reuters contributed to this report.