Netflix is now using AI-powered text-to-video generators to cut visual effects (VFX) costs, co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealed in an earnings call this week.
Sarandos didn’t name the AI tools but said they were used to show the collapse of a building in the Argentinian show The Eternaut.
“Using AI-powered tools, they were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed, and in fact, that VFX sequence was completed 10x faster than it could have been completed with…traditional VFX tools and workflows,” Sarandos said.
This is the first time footage produced using generative AI appeared in a Netflix original series or film. Netflix previously used AI for pre-visualization and shot-planning work.
“We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper,” Sarandos said. “They’re AI-powered creator tools. So this is real people doing real work with better tools.”
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Sarandos isn’t the only major Hollywood executive in favor of using generative AI to cut costs. A few months back, Avatar director James Cameron revealed he is open to the idea.
Generative AI can double filmmakers’ “speed to completion on a given shot, so your cadence is faster and your throughput cycle is faster, and artists get to move on and do other cool things and then other cool things,” Cameron said during an appearance on a podcast with Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth.
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