Netflix uses generative AI VFX in a show for the first time, as CEO says ‘the cost just wouldn’t have been feasible for a show on that budget’

And so it begins...

· TechRadar

News By John-Anthony Disotto published 18 July 2025

(Image credit: Netflix)

  • Netflix's co-CEO Ted Sarandos announced the use of generative AI in an original production for the first time
  • The Eternaut, an Argentine sci-fi show, used generative artificial intelligence to create VFX of a building collapsing
  • The company says it is "thrilled with the results"

Netflix used AI-generated visual effects for the first time in a TV show or movie this year, and co-CEO Ted Sarandos is pretty pleased with the result.

Speaking to investors on Thursday (July 18), Sarandos revealed Argentinian sci-fi show, The Eternaut, is the first Netflix production to use AI to generate a VFX (visual effects) sequence.

He said: "The creators were thrilled with the result. We were thrilled with the result," he said. "And more importantly, the audience was thrilled with the result. So, I think these tools are helping creators expand the possibilities of storytelling on screen, and that is endlessly exciting."

The scene in question shows a building collapse in Buenos Aires after coming into contact with toxic snowfall, and according to Sarandos, given the budget of the show, the scale of the effects needed to pull off the scene wouldn't have been possible without the use of AI.

In fact, Sarandos even confirmed that using AI was not only a cost-saver, but incredibly efficient too. "That VFX sequence was completed 10 times faster than it could have been completed with visual, traditional VFX tools and workflows," he said.

Considering just how happy Netflix's head honcho and the creators behind The Eternaut are with the results, the Argentinian-made TV series could be the pioneer in AI-generated Netflix effects, opening up opportunities for other productions to follow suit.

Just the beginning

Hollywood's disdain towards AI couldn't be more evident. After all, the technology was a huge point of contention in the Hollywood actors' and writers' strikes that plagued the entertainment industry in 2023.

Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox

Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors