Netflix has given up on neural networks: GenAI is already helping with series, and writers aren't thrilled about it
Netflix has for the first time acknowledged the use of generative AI in the production of a TV series. Writers and actors are concerned, the studio assures: the AI is just a supporting tool.
Here's What We Know
During the company's conference call with investors on Netflix's second-quarter results, co-CEO Ted Sarandos gave a specific example of GenAI being used in the series "El Eternauta." According to him, the creative team wanted to show the scene of a building collapse in Buenos Aires, a visual effect that would have been budget-prohibitive. To achieve this, Netflix tapped Eyeline, an in-house studio specialising in production innovation. Using AI, the scene was realised 10 times faster than standard VFX tools, at a fraction of the cost, making the effect possible on a budget.
"That VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been completed with visual traditional VFX tools and workflows. And also the cost of it would just wouldn't have been feasible for a show in that budget."
According to Reuters, the platform is already testing GenAI in other projects, and some of the results are "being implemented into the workflow." Netflix itself calls it an "exploratory approach." This is the first time Netflix has publicly recognised the use of AI in a Netflix feature project.
The use of GenAI in Netflix's series production signals a new stage - a shift from experimentation to the introduction of AI into mainstream content. The series "El Eternauta" was an indicator of how technology is beginning to invade traditionally "human" professions.
A conflict is emerging: on the one hand, the interests of studios and the desire for efficiency, on the other hand, the fears of unions for the future of screenwriters and actors. This case could become a precedent and influence global negotiations on artists' rights in the age of algorithms.
Source: Reuters
