Netflix says AI is now used in about 300 productions

Netflix is using AI across about 300 productions, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said during the company’s latest earnings call, offering one of the clearest public markers of how far the technology has moved into a major studio pipeline. The company said the work is mostly in post-production and can reduce time and cost on some sequences, though Netflix did not disclose total AI spending, vendor contracts or any workforce impact.

Sarandos told investors that AI is being used across the production chain, including concept development, previsualization and delivery. He cited larger crowd scenes and historical battle sequences as examples of work that, according to him, may have been reduced or dropped under normal budget and schedule limits.

The most specific production example was the docuseries The American Experiment. Sarandos said it contains 17 minutes of AI-assisted footage that was created in half the time and at half the cost. Netflix did not provide a full budget for the series, nor did it say which tools were used on that project.

Netflix frames AI as a production efficiency tool

Sarandos said the savings would likely be used to create more programming rather than to reduce Netflix’s roughly $20 billion content budget. He also said creative labor remains central to the work, describing AI as a tool for artists rather than a replacement for them.

That framing is now common across entertainment and media companies adopting AI: emphasize speed and scope, avoid committing to headcount implications, and present the technology as an extension of existing creative workflows. Netflix’s disclosure stands out because it put a production count on that shift. About 300 titles is not a test lab or a single showcase project. It suggests AI tooling has become part of routine production operations at the company.

Netflix already has internal and acquired infrastructure around this work. The company has discussed its Interpositive tool, uses Eyeline for visual effects and virtual production, and operates its own animation lab. Sarandos did not break down how much of the 300-production figure comes from internally built systems versus outside AI models or production partners.

Industry adoption is running ahead of public comfort

The disclosure comes as AI use in entertainment continues to draw pushback from creative workers and rights holders. ByteDance’s video model Seedance has faced official criticism over character copying concerns. Separately, Simpsons producer Joel Kuwahara has said many studios use Seedance privately while keeping that use quiet, describing the industry’s posture as “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

Netflix’s comments show the practical direction of travel: AI is already being used for production work that affects budgets, schedules and what appears on screen. The company gave enough detail to show operational use at scale, but not enough to assess the cost base, rights exposure, vendor dependence or labor consequences behind it.

This story draws on original reporting from The Decoder.