Netflix Embraces AI for VFX, Raising Questions for Film Industry

Netflix used generative AI for the first time in an original production. In the dystopian Argentine sci-fi series “Eternauta”, AI effects were used for a building collapse scene-with considerable time and cost savings.

Netflix uses generative AI for the first time

Netflix has taken a step towards AI-based production for many creative people. The streaming giant used generative artificial intelligence for visual effects in one of its original series for the first time. In the Argentine science fiction production “Eternauta”, the technology was used to implement a dramatic scene of a collapsing building in Buenos Aires. Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO from Netflix, explained that this sequence could be completed ten times faster than with conventional tools and work processes for visual effects. The corresponding sequence would not have been economically implemented without the use of AI for the production of this size. How Reuters reports, Sarandos described the AI as “incredible way to help creative people, to make films and series better, not just cheaper”. According to Sarandos, the sequence used in “Eternauta” represents the first AI generated image material that comes on the screen in a Netflix original production. The creative team was “enthusiastic” with the result, according to the Netflix manager, who believes that the enthusiasm also met for the audience. Official trailer for the science fiction series Eternauta from Netflix

“El Eternauta” is based on the Argentine comic of the same name by Héctor Germán Oesterheld and Francisco Solano López from 1957. History is considered a classic of Latin American science fiction. The Netflix adaptation is one of the first major international productions to prepare this substance for a global audience.

AI remains controversial in films and series

The use of generative AI in the entertainment industry is not undisputed. The technology was the focus of the historical strikes of actors and authors in Hollywood in 2023. Main concerns concern the possibility that Ki could replace human work. But this does not only apply to actors: Several industry representatives have already critically commented on AI use in the production process. Filmmogul Tyler Perry even stopped plans for an $ 800 million extension of his studio in Atlanta in 2024 that the quick development could endanger jobs.

Opportunities for smaller productions

The technology opens up new possibilities for smaller productions. Davier Yoon, co -founder of the animation studio Cravefx from Singapore, emphasized against the BBC. The fact that AI enables smaller studios to create visually appealing effects that were previously only realized with large budgets. “Ultimately, it is the artist who decides what can be seen in the final picture, not the AI,” said Yoon. This democratization of VFX technology could be particularly important for international productions and aspiring film markets.