Netflix used generative AI visuals on screen for the first time in an original series. The Argentine sci-fi show The Eternauts features a building collapse scene created using AI.
Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said this tech helped produce complex visual effects 10 times faster and made the sequence affordable on a smaller budget.
He called the AI use an "incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper." 
"The cost of it would just wouldn’t have been feasible for a show in that budget."
"That sequence actually is the very first [generative] AI final footage to appear on screen in a Netflix original series or film. So the creators were thrilled with the result," said Mr Sarandos.
Netflix reported $11.08 billion revenue for Q2 2024, up 16% year-over-year. The boost came from Squid Game season 3, which hit 122 million views.
AI use in entertainment remains controversial. The 2023 Hollywood strike involved demands to regulate AI, with unions worried about AI replacing human jobs.
Netflix is pushing AI advances despite industry backlash and ongoing debates around AI’s role in creative work.
