Hollywood’s argument that AI is for film and television production may already be overstated. Netflix has confirmed that its creative partners have implemented a production AI workflow across nearly 300 titles by 2026, with the largest workload occurring during production.
Keep in mind that this number describes AI-assisted production workflows and not 300 fully machine-produced films and shows. Regardless, it shows how fast technology has moved beyond one test.
Netflix uses AI when products reach their limits
The broadcasting company highlighted three products in particular. This includes the Indian subject Gloryin Brazil Brasil 70: Saga do Triand an American documentary series The American Experiment. In all of these projects, artificial AI was used to create or develop mobs, historical battles, and help create images used to create large-scale fictional and historical environments.
Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said The American Experiment contains 17 minutes of AI-enhanced graphics. That sequence was reportedly produced twice as fast and at half the cost of previous options. Without the use of AI tools, some of the affected scenes would have been removed entirely because their budgets and schedules could not accommodate conventional production methods.
Another thing to note is how quickly the adoption scale has grown. In 2025, Netflix has publicly revealed the building collapse sequence Eternaut as its first AI product to appear in a final product. Eyeline Studios completed that effect about 10 times faster than traditional visual effects methods, according to Sarandos. And just a year later, AI workflows are appearing in hundreds of articles.
The debate has gone beyond whether Hollywood will use AI
Netflix said that the technology now helps with cognitive development, visualization, and much more. The company operates Eyeline, an animation lab, and recently acquired InterPositive, an AI company focused on filmmaking founded by Ben Affleck. Sarandos expects the savings generated by this workflow to be reinvested in additional programs.
The company also established monitoring centers for production partners. Intended use of AI must be disclosed to Netflix, while final recordings, such as talent, personal data, and third-party intellectual property may require written authorization. Its guidelines prohibit the reproduction or modification of the performance and work covered by the union without proper consent and agreements.
So it’s safe to say that generative AI has already made its way into mainstream film and television production. Hollywood’s next battle will affect who controls it, who benefits from the savings, and whose career disappears along the way.
