Netflix says around 300 titles used generative AI

The Verge News

Summary

Netflix disclosed that about 300 titles on its platform used generative AI, primarily in post-production, to reduce costs and production time. The company highlighted examples like 'The American Experiment' and discussed its growing AI investments.

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="A scene from The American Experiment, one of the Netflix titles to use generative AI | Image: Netflix" data-portal-copyright="Image: Netflix" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/american-experiment.jpg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> A scene from The American Experiment, one of the Netflix titles to use generative AI | Image: Netflix </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">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 <a href="https://ir.netflix.net/files/doc_financials/2026/q2/FINAL-Q2-26-Shareholder-Letter.pdf">second-quarter earnings report</a> released on Thursday, saying it's "increasingly leveraging these tools to deliver higher quality output more quickly and at a lower cost."</p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">It also provided some examples of titles that used AI, including <em>The American Experiment</em>, <em>Glory</em>, and <em>Brasil 70: A Saga do Tri</em>. 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 …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/streaming/966633/netflix-ai-titles-q2-2026-earnings">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>
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# Netflix says around 300 titles used generative AI Source: [https://www.theverge.com/streaming/966633/netflix-ai-titles-q2-2026-earnings](https://www.theverge.com/streaming/966633/netflix-ai-titles-q2-2026-earnings) 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](https://ir.netflix.net/files/doc_financials/2026/q2/FINAL-Q2-26-Shareholder-Letter.pdf)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*](https://www.theverge.com/news/709863/netflix-generative-ai-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](https://www.theverge.com/streaming/889973/netflix-ben-affleck-interpositive-ai)and creating[an AI animation studio](https://www.theverge.com/column/930118/netflix-gen-ai-animation-inkubator)\. The service is also using the AI\-generated voice of Gene Wilder in its new[*Wonka’s The Golden Ticket*reality show](https://www.theverge.com/streaming/959684/netflix-wonka-golden-ticket-gene-wilder)\. 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](https://www.theverge.com/streaming/961828/netflix-viewers-arent-sticking-around-for-season-2)for the second season of its shows\. The service says “time spent is just one aspect of strong engagement,” adding that “quality and variety also matter\.” It also highlights that its[latest*What We Watched*report](https://about.netflix.com/en/news/what-we-watched-the-first-half-of-2026)shows that subscribers watched over 97 billion hours, up 2 percent year over year\. The company also announced that it will now switch to publishing this report just once per year, instead of twice\. 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](https://www.theverge.com/news/799582/netflix-spotify-video-podcast-deal),[TikTok\-style clips](https://www.theverge.com/streaming/913539/netflix-mobile-app-update-vertical-video), and most recently announced[plans to stream videos created by digital media brands](https://www.theverge.com/streaming/962528/netflix-digital-media-brands-streaming), like BuzzFeed, which would typically appear on YouTube\. Earlier this month,*The Wall Street Journal*reported that[Netflix is considering adding always\-on channels](https://www.theverge.com/streaming/963733/netflix-always-on-channels-bundles)\. ***Update, July 16th:**Added information from Netflix’s earnings call\.* **Follow topics and authors**from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates\. - Emma Roth

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