Netflix recently unveiled a revolutionary use of artificial intelligence in its series The Eternaut. For the first time, generative AI was used to create visual effects, specifically a scene in which a building collapses.

Surprisingly, Sarandos said the company already did it, on an Argentinian sci-fi show called El Eternauta, a graphic-novel adaptation known as The Eternaut in English-speaking markets. For a scene showing a building collapsing in Buenos Aires, Netflix's tech team worked with the filmmakers to generate AI footage that was used as final footage.

The streamer said in an earnings call that, due to the show's lower budget, it was cheaper to use AI than to pay VFX artists.