Netflix says around 300 titles used generative AI

The American Experiment docuseries includes 17-minutes of ‘AI-enhanced’ footage.

Netflix says roughly 300 titles on its platform used generative AI, most of which occurred in post-production. The streaming service revealed the news in its second-quarter earnings report released on Thursday, saying it’s “increasingly leveraging these tools to deliver higher quality output more quickly and at a lower cost.”

It also provided some examples of titles that used AI, including The American Experiment , Glory , and Brasil 70: A Saga do Tri . These shows used the technology to “create highly complex sequences,” including “enhanced crowds, historical battle sequences, and worldbuilding establishing shots.” During Netflix’s call with investors, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said The American Experiment docuseries includes 17 minutes of “AI-enhanced footage,” which “were produced twice as fast and at half the cost of previous options.”

“In many of the cases, productions would have left out those key shots because they just wouldn’t have been able to afford them,” Sarandos added. “They wouldn’t have been able to do them in the timeframes that they’re working on.” Sarandos similarly said last year that AI was used to create a scene in the sci-fi series The Eternaut to save time and cut costs.

The streaming giant has begun to invest more heavily in AI as the technology becomes more advanced, with Netflix acquiring Ben Affleck’s AI startup and creating an AI animation studio . The service is also using the AI-generated voice of Gene Wilder in its new Wonka’s The Golden Ticket reality show .

Netflix reported earning $12.56 billion over the past few months, and says it’s still on track to double its ad revenue to $3 billion. In its letter to shareholders, Netflix also addressed some concerns about engagement, which came up after a report from Bloomberg revealed that the streaming giant is struggling to keep viewers around for the second season of its shows.

Netflix has started to introduce new types of content in a bid to compete with free-to-watch services like YouTube. In the past year, Netflix has rolled out video podcasts , TikTok-style clips , and most recently announced plans to stream videos created by digital media brands , like BuzzFeed, which would typically appear on YouTube. Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Netflix is considering adding always-on channels .

Update, July 16th: Added information from Netflix’s earnings call.