Netflix used generative AI to build VFX for a major series
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos just revealed that the streamer used generative AI to create a building collapse scene in The Eternaut, marking a first for its original titles. Sarandos noted the sequence was completed 10 times faster than traditional VFX workflows and allowed an otherwise unaffordable shot to fit within budget.
Hollywood spent the last two years fighting over AI, but Netflix is no longer being shy about it.
During its Thursday earnings call, co-CEO Ted Sarandos admitted that the company used generative AI in its sci-fi hit series The Eternaut, marking a first for any Netflix original production.
A 10x faster building collapse
According to Sarandos, the creative team behind The Eternaut used generative AI to produce a scene showing a building collapsing in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The main driver was pure efficiency. Sarandos claimed the VFX sequence was finished 10 times faster than traditional VFX workflows, adding that pulling it off with existing tools simply wouldn't have been feasible under the show's budget.
This isn't Netflix's only AI bet. Back in May, the streamer rolled out conversational search on mobile, and it is already testing AI to blend sponsor products into custom backgrounds inspired by hits like Stranger Things.
Why it matters
Hollywood studios usually treat generative AI like a dirty secret to avoid backlash from creative unions. Netflix doing the exact opposite on an official earnings call tells you where the wind is blowing.
For mid-budget and international productions, AI tools could genuinely open doors to high-end disaster and sci-fi scenes that used to require blockbuster cash. But celebrating cost cuts so loudly is risky. By openly bragging that human VFX was too expensive, Netflix is bound to reignite creative tensions across the industry.
Sources (1)
- theverge.com(opens in a new tab)Originaltheverge.com