In a letter to shareholders, Netflix has said that it’s used generative AI in 300 of its titles, mostly in post-production. Brace yourselves for slopageddon. Netflix has revealed that it has used generative AI in “roughly 300” of its movies and TV shows in 2026 alone, with the technology mostly applied to post-production. The revelation ... Netflix has used generative AI in around 300 of its films and shows this year
In a letter to shareholders, Netflix has said that it’s used generative AI in 300 of its titles, mostly in post-production.
Brace yourselves for slopageddon. Netflix has revealed that it has used generative AI in “roughly 300” of its movies and TV shows in 2026 alone, with the technology mostly applied to post-production.
The revelation emerged in the streaming giant’s second quarter earnings letter to its shareholders, in which the provides updates on how it’s doing financially and what it’s doing to maximise profits.
In that letter (PDF), Netflix writes that it’s using AI “to improve every aspect of our service and business,” and suggests that the usage of it is only likely to increase in the future.
“Across the production lifecycle, from concept and pre-visualization through post and delivery, GenAI utilization by our creative partners is scaling quickly,” a key passage from the letter reads, as reported by Variety. “In 2026, GenAI workflows have been used in roughly 300 of our titles, with the largest concentration of work in post-production.
“We are increasingly leveraging these tools to deliver higher quality output more quickly and at a lower cost than traditional methods.”
The letter cites one or two examples, including the boxing series Glory, produced in India, period footballing drama Brazil 70: The Third Star, and documentary series The American Experiment.
These shows, Netflix says, used gen-AI to create sequences that the producers would otherwise have had to leave out due to budget costs. AI was used to create “enhanced crowds, historical battle sequences, and worldbuilding establishing shots,” the streamer writes.
Netflix’s affection for AI as a cost-saving measure has been known for a while. Exactly a year ago, it emerged that Argentine sci-fi show The Eternaut had used the tech for some of its VFX sequences.
Netflix boss Ted Sarandos said at the time that “Using AI-powered tools, they were able to achieve an amazing result with remarkable speed and, in fact, that VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been completed with traditional VFX tools and workflows.”
AI has also been used in several earlier documentaries, including What Jennifer Did and Dirty Pop: The Boyband Scam.
“We remain convinced that AI represents an incredible opportunity to help creators make films and series better, not just cheaper,” Sarandos said. “This is real people doing real work with better tools. Our creators are already seeing the benefits in production through pre-visualisation and shot planning work, and certainly visual effects. I think these tools are helping creators expand the possibilities of storytelling on screen, and that is endlessly exciting.”
Netflix has also made a partnership with OpenAI to rework its homepage, announced plans to bring in AI-generated adverts for lower-tier subscribers, and earlier in 2026, spent $600m on acquiring Ben Affleck’s AI company, InterPositive.
What may come as a surprise is the number of Netflix titles that have used generative AI in some form. With the tech being used extensively in post-production – which could mean anything from editing to grading to visual effects – there’s a high chance that Netflix subscribers have seen its use without even noticing.
The news comes as part of Netflix’s quarterly earnings announcement, in which it said that revenue is up 13 percent year on year, but expected profits in its third quarter to dip slightly to an 11 percent increase. That will still represent a profit of $12.86bn, per Variety; still, Netflix’s stock prices dropped by nine percent in the wake of the news.
As companies pursue constant, aggressive growth in order to placate their executives and shareholders, they’ll keep trying to find ways to cut corners using AI. There may be a point where the slop becomes unavoidable.
