Netflix Has No AI Chill (Ep. 512)

Jul 22, 2025

The discussion dives into how AI is reshaping Hollywood, focusing on visual effects and script revisions. Ethical concerns arise as studios, like Netflix, harness AI for cost reduction without clear labels. The hosts explore the balance between human creativity and AI assistance in filmmaking. They also highlight the struggles of traditional roles with evolving technology and the potential for AI to democratize content creation, especially for mid-budget productions. The podcast raises questions about AI's impact on the future of creative jobs and audience perceptions.

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INSIGHT

Labor Protections Shape AI Use

Writers Guild and Actors Guild strikes in 2023 established crucial protections for consent in AI use of likeness and writing.
These agreements ensure AI is a tool under human oversight, not a replacement for human writers or actors.

INSIGHT

AI Democratizes Filmmaking

AI in filmmaking accelerates production and cuts costs significantly, making effects feasible on smaller budgets.
This democratizes film production, enabling small teams to create near-studio quality content rapidly.

INSIGHT

AI Enables New Video Creators

AI tools greatly lower the barrier to high-quality video production, enabling individuals to create compelling short videos.
This points to a future where creative video content expands beyond traditional studio models.

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From visual effects to script rewrites, hosts explore how AI is reshaping filmmaking after the 2023 double strike. They discuss ethical risks, creative opportunities, and how much AI-generated content audiences are already consuming without realizing.

Key Points Discussed

The 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes secured rules requiring explicit consent for actor likeness and voice replication.

Writers Guild agreements clarify AI can’t replace human writers but can be used as a tool under human oversight.

Studios like Netflix are now aggressively using AI for VFX, set design, previsualization, script polishing, and scheduling.

AI-trained models from companies like Runway, OpenAI, and Sora are now integrated into production pipelines.

AI’s capacity to rapidly generate or edit backgrounds, lighting, and assets accelerates timelines and cuts costs.

“AI slop” fears are valid—audiences may consume AI-enhanced content unknowingly as studios don’t label AI contributions.

Debate over where human creativity ends and AI assistance begins in collaborative filmmaking.

AI enables visual effects for mid-budget productions that previously couldn’t afford complex post-production.

Concerns persist about overuse of AI for lead roles, dialogue generation, and automated camera movement decisions.

AI video models struggle with consistency and continuity, requiring human supervision to avoid visual artifacts.

The team noted that regulatory protections may fail to keep pace with rapid AI adoption in global film markets.

Generative tools like Sora could turn small production companies into VFX-heavy content creators.

Ethical and aesthetic questions remain about de-aging, posthumous performances, and synthetic actors.

Long-term, studios may prioritize AI-enhanced production pipelines to maintain competitiveness, regardless of audience transparency.

Timestamps & Topics

00:00:00 🎬 AI in Hollywood - does Netflix have any chill?

00:01:36 ⚖️ 2023 strikes and consent rules

00:04:50 🎥 AI now shaping VFX, backgrounds, and scripts

00:08:19 🛠️ Runway, Sora, and OpenAI models in production

00:10:47 📉 Cost savings and timeline reductions

00:13:06 🎭 AI slop vs. invisible enhancements

00:16:50 🧠 Collaboration or replacement of human creativity?

00:20:25 💸 Mid-budget films now get blockbuster-level VFX

00:25:04 ⚠️ Risks: lead roles, dialogue, automated scenes

00:30:17 📊 Why AI content lacks continuity without human review

00:35:32 🌍 Regulatory lag outside U.S. film industry

00:40:00 🖥️ Sora democratizing video generation

00:44:25 🚧 De-aging, synthetic actors, and ethics

00:49:51 🎬 Netflix and studios chasing competitive AI pipelines

00:55:13 📅 Wrap-up and upcoming shows

#AIinHollywood #NetflixAI #AIVideo #AIContent #SoraAI #GenerativeVideo #AIEthics #RunwayML #SyntheticActors #FilmmakingAI #DailyAIShow

The Daily AI Show Co-Hosts:

Andy Halliday, Beth Lyons, Jyunmi Hatcher