Netflix Uses Generative AI for the First Time in Production VFX Scene Completed 10 Times Faster

Global streaming giant Netflix has, for the first time, used generative AI (GenAI) technology in its own original films and television shows. The company’s co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, shared the information during a post-earnings conference on Thursday.

He revealed that in the Argentine series "El Eternauta", a building collapse scene was created using AI — marking Netflix’s first-ever "final GenAI footage" to appear on screen.

According to Sarandos, the scene was completed 10 times faster than it would have been with traditional visual effects tools and at a much lower cost.

“We believe AI will help creators not only make films and shows more affordably, but also at a higher quality,” said Sarandos. “This is real people doing real work — just with better tools.”

He added that AI is already aiding in pre-visualization, shot planning, and visual effects. Previously, advanced visual effects like de-aging were only available for big-budget productions, but AI is making such tools more accessible.

Co-CEO Greg Peters stated that beyond content creation, generative AI is also being used in personalization, search, and advertising. Netflix plans to launch interactive AI-powered ads in the second half of this year. Earlier, the company had rolled out an AI-powered search feature.

In the second quarter of 2025, Netflix reported revenue of $11.08 billion — a 16% increase from the previous year. The company recorded a profit of $3.13 billion for the quarter. It also revealed that viewers watched more than 95 billion hours of content in the first half of 2025, with non-English titles accounting for one-third of total viewership.

Source: TechCrunch