Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos doesn’t think AI missteps will dominate the entertainment world.
“I don’t think it’s about getting faster and cheaper,” Sarandos said of using AI in a new interview with Politico, which, like Business Insider, is part of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network. “These are the most competitive times in the history of media, so you have to constantly improve from the beginning.”
AI startups building tools for entertainment companies and creatives, from special effects to content generation, are growing their presence in Hollywood.
For example, Netflix recently acquired InterPositive, an AI startup founded by actor Ben Affleck that creates tools for filmmakers.
“My focus is that AI should be a creator tool,” Sarandos told POLITICO. “Just as production tools have evolved over time, AI is just a rapid and significant evolution of those tools.”
Sarandos said that while AI can help with editing and production, great content “still requires writers, actors and lighting technicians.”
One category Sarandos said AI cannot replace human talent is voice acting.
“What we think is most important in dubbing is performance. So good voice actors are really important,” he said. “Yes, it’s much cheaper to use AI, but without a very human-like performance, it actually reduces the quality of the production.”
Still, he sees opportunity in voice.
“I think what’s going to happen is that we’ll be able to do things like pick up lines months after production,” he said. “Being able to recreate some of these lines in the movie without having to bring everyone back and redo everything helps us make a better movie.”
