Ted Sarandos Responds To James Cameron’s Vision Of AI Making Movies Cheaper: “There’s An Even Bigger Opportunity To Make Movies 10% Better”
by Dade Hayes · DeadlineCiting recent comments by James Cameron, Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said he hopes AI can make films “10% better,” not just “50% cheaper.”
The executive was asked by a Wall Street analyst during the streaming giant’s first-quarter earnings call Thursday about the diminished “fear” in the industry about the threat of AI to jobs and IP.
“There’s a ton of excitement about what AI can do for content creators,” Sarandos replied. He then brought up the sentiments from Cameron. During a podcast interview this month, the Avatar director said filmmakers can cut the cost of major tentpoles “in half” by using the technology.
Related Stories
'Ransom Canyon' Showrunner April Blair Unpacks Finale And Season 2 Hopes
Netflix Co-CEOs Ted Sarandos And Greg Peters See 2024 Pay Jump As Each Tops $60 Million
“I read the article too about what Jim Cameron said about making movies 50% cheaper,” Sarandos said. “I remain convinced that there’s an even bigger opportunity to make movies 10% better. So, our talent today is using AI tools to do set references, pre-vis, VFX sequence prep, shot planning, all kinds of things today that kind of make the process better. Traditionally, only big-budget projects would have access to things like advanced visual effects such as de-aging. Today, you can use these AI-powered tools to enable smaller-budget projects to have access to big VFX on screen.”
Netflix topped analysts expectations in the first quarter, delivering solid results and affirming it is relatively safe from potential threats from tariffs or recession. The company no longer reports subscriber numbers, but still managed to impress with its financials, with shares rising 5% in after-hours trading.
Sarandos was among the studio and streaming execs who negotiated agreements with SAG-AFTRA and the WGA in 2023 after the unions flagged concerns about the risk of AI being used to marginalize the creative community and cut jobs. While that period of labor unrest was accompanied by a larger feeling of unease about the scale of generative AI, a general consensus has emerged that it can be useful if deployed responsibly. Cameron’s appointment to the board of directors of Stability AI has been seen as a positive sign in that regard.
During the earnings call, the Netflix CO-CEO emphasized the rapid advances in AI, citing 2019 film The Irishman as a benchmark.
“If you remember that movie, we were using very cutting-edge, very expensive de-aging technology that still had massive limitations, still created a bunch of complexity on set for the actors,” Sarandos said. “It was a giant leap forward for sure, but nowhere near what we needed for that film.”
Five years later, the exec continued, Irishman D.P. Rodrigo Prieto directed Pedro Páramo, his first project as a feature director. “Using AI-powered tools, he was able to deliver de-aging effects on the screen at a fraction of what it cost for The Irishman,” Sarandos said. “In fact, the entire budget of the film was about what the VFX cost on The Irishman. So, same creator using new tools, better tools, to do what was impossible five years ago – that’s incredibly exciting. So, our focus is simple: Find ways for AI to improve the member and the creator experience.”