- By Prateek Levi
- Fri, 18 Jul 2025 03:09 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
El Eternauta: Netflix has taken a notable step in adopting generative AI, using the technology to create visual effects for the first time in one of its original series. The move signals a new era in content production, though it comes at a time when AI continues to stir concern in Hollywood.
During Netflix’s second-quarter investor call, Co-CEO Ted Sarandos described AI as “an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper.”
He pointed to El Eternauta (The Eternaut), an Argentine science-fiction series, as a recent example. The creators wanted to depict a building collapsing in Buenos Aires—a complex visual effect that was outside the show’s budget constraints. To bring the sequence to life, the team collaborated with Eyeline Studios, Netflix’s in-house production innovation group, and used AI to generate the dramatic moment.
“That VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been completed with traditional visual VFX tools and workflows,” Sarandos said. “And also the cost of it just wouldn’t have been feasible for a show in that budget.” He added that this marks the first time final GenAI-generated footage has been used in a Netflix original series or film.
Image Credits: IMDb
Generative AI has become a controversial topic in Hollywood, especially following the labour disputes of 2023. Those events led to the establishment of new rules for AI use in entertainment, as many industry professionals fear that AI could displace human roles.
Netflix’s other co-CEO, Greg Peters, suggested the company is also looking into broader uses of generative AI to enhance user experience. He offered a hypothetical voice search example: “Saying ‘I want to watch a film from the ’80s that’s a dark psychological thriller’ (and getting) some results back … you just couldn’t have done in our previous experiences,” Peters said. “So that’s super-exciting.”
He also noted that advertising could benefit from AI-driven advancements, as brands look for new ways to craft engaging campaigns. “We think these generative techniques can decrease that hurdle iteratively over time and enable us to do that in more and more spots,” said Peters.
