Netflix admitted during its earnings call on Thursday that it utilized artificial intelligence to generate visual effects in The Eternaut A Netflix Original produced in Argentina, which premiered in April 2025. The company's co-CEO Ted Sarandos mentioned that generative AI was particularly utilized for a visual effects scene in the post-apocalyptic drama, although this initiative is just one among many efforts by Netflix to incorporate artificial intelligence.
As stated by Sarandos, the creators of The Eternaut The plan included capturing a scene of a building falling down in Buenos Aires, but instead of hiring a special effects studio to produce the video, Netflix utilized generative artificial intelligence to generate it. “With AI-driven technologies, they managed to obtain incredible outcomes quickly,” Sarandos mentioned during the financial conference. “Actually, that visual effects segment was finished ten times quicker compared to what would have been possible using conventional VFX methods.”
The shot 'simply wouldn't have been possible for a show within that budget,' Sarandos states, considering his involvement in the show's financial planning. The executive mentions that The Eternaut notable aspect is "the initial use of Generative AI final scenes displayed on screen in a Netflix original production." Evidently, the program also serves as a model for how Netflix can reduce expenses it wishes to avoid in the coming years.
Employees within the entertainment sector have reacted negatively to the application of generative AI. Strikes have occurred—such as the one that was just settled— SAG-AFTRA video game strike — have prioritized safeguarding measures against AI as a key concern. The Oscar-nominated film The Brutalist was criticized in 2024 for utilizing artificial intelligence technologies During the creation process. After that, whether generative AI systems were unlawfully trained using protected content remains uncertain.
Netflix intends to implement generative artificial intelligence. to create ads for its ad-supported Netflix subscription, and the company is reportedly testing A newly introduced search function driven by OpenAI models. Implementing generative AI in live operations may be standard practice for a firm that has already made significant investments, yet it might contribute to making a technology that numerous artists still strongly oppose more widely accepted.