Netflix says about 300 programs used generative AI this year
Netflix told shareholders that generative AI has been used on roughly 300 programs, including work on crowds, battle scenes and post-production.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
2 min read
Netflix has used generative AI on roughly 300 programs in its library this year, the company told shareholders Thursday, offering a rare count of how far the technology has spread through its production pipeline.
In its second-quarter earnings materials, Netflix said the tools are being used at multiple stages of making and releasing a program. The company pointed to work that begins with concept development and pre-visualization, then continues through post-production and distribution.
The streamer named three projects where generative AI played a role: the Indian sports thriller series Glory, the Brazilian soccer miniseries Brasil 70: A Saga do Tri and the American Revolution docuseries The American Experiment.
According to Netflix, the technology helped those productions create complicated sequences, including bigger-looking crowds and battle scenes. The company said some productions would have lost important shots or sequences without generative AI.
Netflix says AI is speeding up production
Netflix told shareholders it is using the tools to produce work faster and at lower cost than older production methods, while also aiming for better output.
“We are increasingly leveraging these tools to deliver higher quality output more quickly and at a lower cost than traditional methods,” the company said in its shareholder letter.
The disclosure comes as studios, streamers and production companies continue to test generative AI in entertainment work, especially in areas such as pre-visualization and visual effects. Netflix’s update did not break down how many of the roughly 300 programs used the technology in each part of production.
The company also did not say how much money the technology saved, how many shots were created or altered with it, or how many workers were involved in those AI-assisted processes.
Quarterly sales rose, while revenue missed estimates
Netflix reported second-quarter revenue of $12.56 billion, a 13.4% increase from the same period a year earlier.
The company posted net income of $3.4 billion, which Netflix said translated to 80 cents per share.
Wall Street analysts had expected revenue of $12.59 billion and earnings of 79 cents per share on average, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
The AI figure landed inside that broader earnings update, where Netflix framed the technology as a production tool already being used across a wide set of titles rather than a limited experiment.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.