Hello screen zombies, post-house VFX veterans, and adland futurists who still think “brand safety” is the final frontier…
While you were arguing about whether AI can write a good script (spoiler: it already did), Netflix went and rewired the entire industry—quietly at first, now with a megaphone, and soon... with hyper-relevant ads in your favourite show that eerily match your wallpaper and your recent search for running shoes.
Here’s the update you didn’t ask for—but need.
From sci-fi series to Silicon Valley fever dream
Remember El Eternauta? Argentina’s cult sci-fi epic? Netflix gave it a budget—and a VFX team powered by generative AI. The result? A building-collapse scene rendered ten-times faster than traditional methods and delivered on a budget that wouldn’t cover a Marvel catering bill.
It wasn’t a test. It was the canary in the Hollywood coal mine.
They’ve since doubled down with Runway’s Gen-3 tools. VFX timelines? Slashed by up to 90%. Suddenly, your average mid-budget Polish thriller can look like The Mandalorian—without the Disney price tag.
Coming soon: Ads you’ll swear are part of the plot
By 2026, Netflix will introduce AI-generated in-show ads that blend seamlessly with the scene’s lighting, colour and mood.
Mid-roll. Pause ads. All powered by generative models. Imagine Karen pausing The Witcher to make tea and being greeted by a dark forest ad for shampoo tailored to her recent Boots browsing history.
Creepy? Yes. Effective? Also yes.
Advertisers are already frothing. These Franken-ads promise CPMs juicier than a Bridgerton plot twist—thanks to hyper-targeted, data-enriched creative that makes old-school pre-rolls look like VHS trailers.
Everyone else is still kicking the tyres
Disney has “looked into it” but remains cautious—probably busy lawyering up before Runway gets sued again.
Lionsgate is training its own Runway model on 20,000 titles, because nothing says “innovation” like feeding AI decades of Nicholas Cage content.
Warner Bros. and Paramount? Silent. Suspiciously so.
Netflix, meanwhile, is sprinting past them all with a smirk and a copyright lawyer on speed dial.
AI: Force multiplier or job killer?
That depends on who you ask. Netflix swears it's empowering artists, not replacing them. But the unions aren’t buying it—after all, AI was the main character in last year’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
And don’t forget the copyright chaos. Runway’s training data is under fire. Disney’s reticence isn’t strategy—it’s legal damage control.
Oh, and the viewers? Some are already calling it the Black Mirror-ification of content. When your ad-tier episode pauses and recommends a therapist based on your last WhatsApp meltdown—don’t say we didn’t warn you.
What to watch (besides another true crime doc)
Regulators are circling – California’s got rules on digital replicas. Brussels is next.
Quality will be everything – If the uncanny valley creeps into your favourite drama, trust will crater faster than a Netflix stock price post-password crackdown.
Advertisers want proof – Netflix will need serious metrics to justify this AI-palooza. Otherwise, it’s just smoke, mirrors and ad tech snake oil.
Rivals are watching – If this works, expect a tidal wave of AI adoption. If it flops, Netflix will be Exhibit A in every anti-AI op-ed for the next decade.
The Credits Roll
Netflix isn’t flirting with AI. It’s marrying it, having its ads, and charging you to watch the baby photos.
This isn’t a feature upgrade. It’s a platform-wide pivot—one that could rewrite the rules of both entertainment and advertising if they pull it off. Or implode spectacularly if they don’t.
Either way, we’re all watching. And now... so is the algorithm.