Netflix CEO Counters Cameron's AI Cost-Cutting Vision: 'Make Movies 10% Better'

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos pushed back on director James Cameron's recent assertion that AI could slash film production costs by half, arguing instead for quality improvements over cost reduction during Netflix's first-quarter earnings call Thursday. '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.'

Sarandos pointed to Netflix's current AI implementations in set references, pre-visualization, VFX sequence preparation, and shot planning. He said AI-powered tools have democratized high-end visual effects that were once exclusive to big-budget productions. The executive cited 2019's 'The Irishman' as a benchmark, noting its 'very cutting-edge, very expensive de-aging technology that still had massive limitations.' In contrast, he referenced cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto's directorial debut 'Pedro Paramo,' which employed AI-powered de-aging at 'a fraction' of The Irishman's cost. 'The entire budget of the film was about what the VFX cost on The Irishman,' Sarandos explained. 'Same creator using new tools, better tools, to do what was impossible five years ago.'

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